Questions
by The Weapon Master
Summary: A heart scarred by sorrow, chained by pain, searching for answers. LuffyxNami RobinxOC
1. Intro: Why?

_Alright, let's try this again._

_Got rid of the first attempt, hope this goes better._

* * *

Why?

Monkey D. Luffy lay on the ground, unable to move through a mixture of pain and exhaustion.

He was covered equally in dirt and dust, his breathing heavy and shallow.

His trademark straw hat lay just out of reach, not that it mattered. He couldn't even muster the strength to try and grab it.

He struggled to turn his head, and could just make out the immobile bodies of Sanji and Zoro.

Their enemy had removed him from the fight and proceeded to fight both of them, leaving him to watch helplessly as they were both defeated and then killed.

Hot, angry tears stung his eyes as he remembered that everyone else was gone as well.

Ussop and Chopper, Franky, Robin,... Nami.

He heard footsteps approaching, and he turned his head to look at the man, the one responsible for all of this.

He was wearing a pair of black sneakers and baggy white cargo pants. A white robe covered a black shirt, and a hood obscured his face, although Luffy would never be able to forget it.

He growled, a deep, animalistic sound that couldn't express all the things he was feeling.

He felt responsible for the death of his crew. He had stood on the sidelines unable to help them as they fell to this man. He should have done something! He was the captain dammit!

He felt an unmistakeable sadness that they were all gone. They had been his friends, his companions who had consoled him on all of their journeys together. And now he could never laugh, never cry, never share in the experiences he had delighted in during their time together.

And above all, he felt betrayed and confused.

For this man, the one who had single-handedly decimated his entire crew, had been his friend as well, a crewmate on the ship they had all sailed on.

He finally found the strength to talk, but could only manage a single word.

"Why?"

The man didn't bother to answer, and instead crouched down on one knee, moving a hand up to cover Luffy's forehead.

The man's face betrayed no emotion, and his lips moved to utter a phrase that Luffy could not hear.

A flash of light, and Luffy saw no more.

His question still hung in the air, heavy and unanswered.

_Why?_

* * *

_I think this is better than my last intro, although I might have lost some future readers by killing off the entire crew._

_This will make sense later, but only if you continue reading._

_I would like to personally Ookami103 for allowing me to use her drawing for this story. Go check her profile out on deviantart if you like it._


	2. Enter: Strawhat Luffy

_All right, next chapter. I really appreciate all the feedback I'm getting. I feel so loved _TT_TT

_Regarding this chapter...I debated whether or not to put this chapter in at all, but then decided it was the lesser of two evils._

_Now let's get this show on the road! _

_Oh, and I don't own One Piece._

Enter: "Strawhat" Luffy

The sea was calm as a large passenger ship skirted the edge of a gigantic whirlpool, the passengers inside being calmed by the soothing words of the captain, who assured them that some "measly whirlpool" would not affect the ship in the slightest.

Up on deck, the crew was just fishing up a large barrel out of the water, remarking on how heavy it was and trying to decide what to do with whatever was inside.

The calm was broken however, by the terrified shout of the lookout in the crow's nest, who pointed out a horrendously bright pink ship that had just sailed from out of the cover of a small rocky outcrop.

"PIRATES!" he screamed, pointing to the black flag flying from the mast, the skull and crossbones painted in the middle grinning menacingly at them.

The crew immediately dropped what they were doing – including the barrel – and began to run about the ship in a panic. A couple members of the crew ran down to the ballroom to inform the captain of the incident. The news only served to send the passengers themselves into a frenzy, as they began to run about in fear.

One passenger though, a young woman in a dress with shoulder-length orange hair, was smirking at the opportunity this presented her, and began to sneak unnoticed out of the room.

* * *

The pirate ship had already begun to open fire on the defenseless ship, the cannonballs it fired causing the ship to rock uncontrollably.

Meanwhile, the pirate ship was pulling up alongside the passenger ship, the pirates on board laughing as they prepared to board.

The captain stood still though, and smiled to herself as she thought of all the plunder that could be found on the ship.

She shouted over her shoulder at a scrawny boy with light pink hair.

"COBY!"

The boy hurried to step forward, shaking as he wondered what she could want him for.

"Y-Yes?"

"Who is the most beautiful woman on all the seas?" she asked, her eyes still fixed on the ship in front of her.

He hesitated for only a second, then gulped and responded, "Why, that would be you of course Lady Alvida."

She turned around to look at him, grinning maliciously.

"Good answer," she said, hefting a large iron club studded with spikes effortlessly onto her shoulder.

Looking at her, one could only think that the only reason Coby had said that was to avoid being smashed to a pulp with that same club.

The woman was horrendously fat, her clothes strained already with the effort of staying on. Her face was pudgy, and dotted with freckles, and her fat fingers tightened and relaxed their grip on the club's handle, ready to swing it at any moment.

"So, is everyone ready for a little plunder?"

Her crew roared back in response, waving their cutlasses and running to board the ship.

* * *

Coby walked quietly through the halls of the ship, trying to make as little sound as possible. He rubbed his backside, still sore from where Alvida had decided to "help" him over to the ship through a swift kick in the pants.

Alvida herself, along with her crew, had headed straight towards the sound of the sound of the screaming passengers, and were likely terrorizing them right now, taking any valuables they had to offer.

Coby had made sure to get as far away as possible, going below deck when he was sure no one was watching.

He checked several rooms as he went along, figuring he should at least make a point of returning with something.

He finally came to the kitchen, and his eyes were immediately drawn to a large barrel sitting on it's side.

The barrel was wet, as if it had just come out of the ocean, and when he tried to move it, he noticed it was rather heavy.

He struggled to push it to the door, but was stopped by three of Alvida's crew, who likely had been ordered below decks to search for anymore loot.

They sneered at Coby in unison. "Well, well," one of them began. "If it isn't Coby."

"You trying to duck out of the fighting and hide down here you coward?", another asked.

Coby waved his hands in front of him. "No way! I was just rolling this big barrel over to you guys."

The larger of the three stepped forward. "Is that so. How's 'bout we help you lighten the load there? Maybe there's some good booze in that thing."

Coby freaked out at this. "But what if Alvida finds out?"

"She won't if you keep your mouth shut," one of the pirates spat.

The bigger pirate set the barrel upright, grunting at it's weight. He cracked his knuckles, "Stand back boys, I'll open her the old fashioned way."

He concentrated for a second, then swung his fist down.

Right before he made contact though, he was interrupted by the barrel bursting open and a fist catching him under the chin, sending him sprawling to the floor.

Coby, along with the remaining two pirates, were surprised to see a boy standing in the barrel, stretching and yawning and shouting about what a good nap he had.

He opened his eyes and looked at the man on the floor, and the rest of the people still standing.

He blinked. "Who the hell are you guys?"

The pirates were in his face immediately screaming the same question back at him, but were ignored by the boy. He stepped out of the barrel and calmly said, "You're friends gonna catch a cold sleeping on the floor like that."

The pirates shouted at him that he was the reason he was out cold on the floor, but were ignored again. This apparently ticked them off, as they drew their cutlasses and blocked his path. "Are you trying to piss us off when you know full well we're cruel and vicious pirates!"

They were ignored a third time though, as the boy was already crouching in front of Coby and asking if he knew where any food was.

The pirates snapped at this, raising their swords above their heads and screaming in rage. "You damn kid!"

Coby gasped and covered his eyes, not wanting to watch what was coming next. He was surprised to hear what sounded like metal breaking and embedding itself in wood. What he saw when he opened his eyes though, shocked him even more.

The pirates were on their knees, shaking in fear. Their swords were broken at the middle, the missing halves stuck in the ceiling.

The boy on the other hand, was staring at them in confusion. "What is wrong with you guys?"

The pirates didn't answer his question, and stammered out their own question instead. "W-Who are you?"

The boy smiled cheekily and responded, "The name's Monkey D. Luffy."

The pirates fled then, screaming as they dragged their unconscious comrade between them.

Coby merely stared straight ahead dumbstruck, and, finally finding his voice, asked, "What just happened?"

Luffy simply shrugged. "Beats me."

Fear struck Coby then, and he leapt from his spot on the floor. "Quick, you need to get out of here! If those guys tell everyone what happened then they'll come find you and kill you!"

Luffy smiled and said, "I don't care about any of that, I'm hungry."

Shocked at his devil-may-care attitude, Coby tried to talk him into hiding, ultimately ending in him being dragged to the pantry with him. While Luffy immediately leapt down and begin devouring any food within reach, Coby was looking around outside, and deemed the place safe for now.

He clambered down to where Luffy was, and sat there, unsure of what to do next.

"Uh, I'm Coby," he began. "So,um, Luffy was it? That was pretty cool what you did back there in the barrel."

Luffy however, seemed to ignore his question, and instead commented on how good the apples were, his mouth still full of the fruit.

"So those guys said they were pirates. Is this a pirate ship, then?" Luffy asked.

Coby shook his head. "No, it's a passenger ship being raided by pirates under the command of Lady Alvida."

"Oh well," he shrugged. "None of that really matters to me anyway."

"By the way,do you know where I can get a boat?" he asked, speaking around the food in his mouth.

Coby thought about it for a second. "I think there are some on the top deck."

Luffy nodded, reaching for more apples as he did. "That's good. 'Cause my boat got destroyed by some whirlpool."

Coby almost fell over in astonishment. "You mean that huge whirlpool outside? No way!"

Luffy swallowed what was in his mouth and nodded, a wild grin on his face. "Yeah. It really surprised me, too!"

Coby was stunned into silence, and sat there for a moment, trying to process everything that had happened that day. "By the way..." said Luffy, snapping Coby out of his reverie. "What are you doing here? You don't really seem much like a pirate."

Coby's head drooped, and he thought back to how exactly he had ended up in this mess.

"I'm not. I went to go fishing one day, and ended up on one of the longboats for this pirate ship by mistake. In exchange for being allowed to remain alive, I've been working as their cabin boy for almost two years."

Luffy had been crouched next to Coby listening to his story, and decided to speak up at that moment, offering kind words of wisdom.

"You're kinda stupid, you know?"

Coby slumped, depressed at his candid answer. "Gee, thanks for being so honest."

Luffy frowned. "If you hate it here so much, why not just escape?"

That seemed to frighten Coby, though, who began to sweat and shake his head rapidly. "No way, nuh uh! Just the though of what Alvida would do if she caught me makes me sick!"

Luffy began to laugh. "Your're an idiot and a coward. I hate people like you."

Coby drooped once again, having nothing to say to what he knew was the truth. He straightened a moment later, though his eyes were still downcast.

"Yeah, I guess you're right. If I just just had the courage, I could leave this place and try and accomplish my own dreams."

Coby looked up at Luffy. "What about you Luffy? Do you have any dreams?"

Luffy smiled widely. "Well, I'm gonna be King of the Pirates."

Coby's jaw dropped. "K-King?" Luffy nodded. When Coby failed to respond, he waved a hand in front of his face, rapping him a few times on the forehead for good measure.

Coby suddenly jumped to his feet, a terrified look on his face. "Do you know what kind of dangers are waiting for you! To be the Pirate King, you'd have to make the whole world kneel at your feet. To become the King, you'd have to find the legendary One Piece!"

Luffy just continued to smile through Coby's rant. "Yeah!"

"Don't give me that 'Yeah'!" Coby shouted. "It would be downright **impossible** for you to become the Pirate King during this Age of Piracy! Impossible, impossible, imposs-!"

Coby was cut off when Luffy's fist sent him sprawling to the floor. He got up grimacing, holding his head.

"Why'd you hit me?", he whined.

Luffy shrugged. " 'Cause I felt like it."

Coby chuckled humorlessly. "Oh well. It doesn't matter. I'm used to the guys on the ship smacking me around a lot."

Luffy didn't seem to be listening, though, instead reaching for the straw-hat on his head. "It's not about whether I can or can't do it Coby," he began, removing the hat and staring at it affectionately. "I'm doing this because I **want** to, because it's my dream."

Coby was staring at Luffy intently, enraptured by what he was saying.

"I decided a long time ago that I would do whatever I could to accomplish this dream," he said, replacing the hat on his head. " If I die while doing that, than I die."

Coby was stunned by his determination. And here he was, cowering in fear, afraid to even try.

"Well," began Luffy. "Now that I've eaten my fill, I guess it's time to get myself a new boat. Maybe they'll just give me one if I ask nice enough? Maybe they're generous people?"

"I wonder," Coby muttered from his spot on the floor. Luffy stopped, already halfway up the stairs, and turned to listen. "I wonder... If I was willing to go that far, to risk even my life, could I really do it?"

Coby turned to look at Luffy. "Hey do you think I could become a Marine?"

Luffy's looked confused. "A Marine?"

Coby leapt to his feet, a fire burning in his eyes that hadn't been there before. "Yeah! Becoming a Marine has always been my dream! I want to become strong so I can protect people in trouble!"

Luffy smiled. "How the heck should I know?"

Coby walked towards him. "Well I'm gonna do it! I'll become a Marine, and I'll get stronger! Then I'll go and catch Alvida myself!"

The moment he said that, the ceiling collapsed, and a huge shadow fell to the floor with a tremendous 'thud', shaking the entire ship. Coby scrambled away from the falling debris, while Luffy was kept in place by multiple cutlasses being stabbed through the walls on either side of him.

A voice rang out of the dust. "And just **WHO** are you planning on capturing Coby? And you honestly think this **twig **is going to help you?"

Alvida stood up, the floorboards underneath her cracked and splintered by her monstrous weight. She relaxed her grip on the iron club in her hand, allowing it to hang at her side. "Well, you're obviously **not** Zoro the Pirate Hunter."

Luffy's head twisted sideways in confusion. "Zoro?"

"When my men told me that a frightening man in a barrel had been seen on the ship," began Alvida. "I figured it was him, but it appears I simply jumped to conclusions.

Alvida turned her attention to Coby then. "Well, Coby," Alvida said in a sickly-sweet voice. "I'll give you one last chance: Who is the most beautiful women on the seas?

Coby began to sweat, shaking in fear as he thought of what to say next.

He needn't have bothered though, since Luffy spoke up for him instead.

"Hey Coby, who's the fat lady?"

Everyone within earshot stopped, their mouths hanging open in a mixture of surprise and horror. Alvida meanwhile, was shaking in rage, a number of veins popping into existence on her forehead.

"**YOU RUNT**!" she screamed, bringing her club down to smash him.

But Luffy had already jumped out of the way, the club crushing the spot he had just been standing on into scrap wood and splinters.

He landed in front of Coby and grabbed his arm. "Let's go."

He leaped out of the hole Alvida had made, smiling at the pirates waiting for him on the top deck.

The first pirate to attack swung his sword, but was dodged and subsequently headbutted by Luffy. The next one attempted to attack from behind, but never even got to swing his blade, having been interrupted by Luffy's fist in his face. Four pirates tried to gang up on him, but Luffy jumped backwards out of their reach.

Luffy took a moment to gloat, but stopped when he heard a loud scream above his head. He moved to the side just as a pirate came falling to the deck, trying to cleave him in two. Luffy frowned and grabbed him by the head. "It's not fair to attack people from behind," he chastised, lobbing the man towards another group of pirates, knocking them out.

He was interrupted in his celebrating when he heard a large amount of growling behind him. He looked behind him and saw the rest of the crew, angry and ready to carve him to pieces. He grinned sheepishly and ran away, an almost comical look of terror on his face.

"It's even more not fair to gang up on a guy!" he cried over his shoulder.

Just then, his hand caught the main mast as he was running by, staying firmly in place while he continued on, seemingly unaware that his arm was stretching far past normal standards. The pirates chasing him stopped and stared at the stretched appendage, looking back and forth from hand to body and back again.

Luffy had stopped running meanwhile, and looked back with a cheeky grin. "Gotcha."

The pirates dropped their swords and ran, terrified of this man who simply could not be human.

"**GUM-GUM**...," Luffy began, his body shaking with the strain of keeping his arm stretched. "**ROCKET!**" he roared, lifting his legs and flying towards the fleeing pirates.

He plowed through everyone still standing, sending them crashing to the ground or flying through the air.

Coby, Alvida (who had spent several minutes trying to heave her considerable bulk onto the main deck), and all of the pirates still conscious were stunned, struggling to comprehend how what just happened was even possible.

Coby walked towards Luffy. "Luffy. Wh-What are you?"

Luffy smiled and grabbed the inside of his cheek, stretching it to the the side. "I'm a rubber-man."

Coby just gave Luffy a blank look. "So, you're...made of rubber?"

Coby straightened up when he felt a presence behind him, scrambling to hide behind Luffy when he noticed it was Alvida, who was staring at the now revealed rubber-man intensely.

"So," began Alvida. "You've eaten a Devil Fruit."

Luffy smiled and nodded the affirmative. "Yeah. I ate the Gum-Gum one."

Alvida smirked. "I heard those who've eaten a Devil Fruit lose their ability to swim and sink like stones in the sea."

"Yeah, but now, I'm rubber," defended Luffy, grinning impetuously.

Alivda glanced around her ship, taking note of the number of her crew that Luffy had KO'd. "You're rather skilled," Alvida mused. "Are you a bounty hunter?"

Luffy didn't seem to catch Alvida's grip tightening on the handle of her club, shifting it on her shoulder in order to swing it easier. Coby caught the motions and began to shake, fearing for Luffy should he answer in any way Alvida deemed unsatisfactory.

Luffy frowned. "I'm a pirate."

Whatever Alvida was expecting, this seemed to catch her off guard. She burst out laughing, shaking in mirth at the idea of this scrawny kid being a pirate.

"Well then, tell me," Alvida began, deciding to humor the boy. "If the two of us are pirates, and we're not in the same crew, doesn't that make us enemies?"

Coby was unnerved even further by Alvida's threatening smile, just as menacing as the skull grinning on her pirate flag.

Luffy seemed to be thinking of a response, but was interrupted by Coby. "Uh, Luffy?"

Luffy turned to Coby, humming to show he was listening. "We should get out of here."

Luffy looked confused. "Why?"

Coby looked terrified now, expecting Alvida to attack at any moment. She was strong, she was merciless. She would kill Luffy at the drop of a hat. "Lady Alvida is..."

Before he could convey his fears to Luffy though, he remembered what Luffy had told him.

"_I decided a long time ago that I would do whatever I could to accomplish this dream. If I die while doing that, than I die."_

_I have...I have to be willing to put everything on the line, even risk my life, in order to accomplish my dream._

Alvida smirked contemptuously, expecting more words of praise to spill from his cowardly mouth. "Well, go on Coby."

Coby turned to face Alvida, his jaw set and his mind made up.

"Alvida is...the ugliest hag on all the seas!"

Not a sound was made, the remaining conscious pirates standing slack-jawed at Coby's declaration.

The silence was broken by Luffy laughing his head off, while Alvida steamed furiously, her head looking like it was about to burst in rage.

"What did you say you little brat?", Alvida fumed.

Coby stepped forward. "I'm leaving this ship, and I'm going to join the Marines. And there's not a thing you can do or say to stop me!"

Another vein popped into existence on Alvida's head. "Do you have any idea who you're talking to!"

"I don't care!" Coby screamed. "I'm not scared of you anymore! And when I do become a Marine, I'm gonna catch your lousy ass first!"

"Now you're dead!" Alvida roared, swinging her club high above her head.

Coby cowered, but managed to stand his ground._ I WON'T TAKE IT BACK! I'M GONNA FOLLOW MY DREAM!_

Luffy interrupted, stepping forward and pushing Coby backwards. "Well said," he smirked.

Alvida didn't bother to stop her swing, slamming it down on top of Luffy's head. The force of the attack cracked the wood under Luffy's sandaled feet, although miraculously, his legs did not buckle. Coby looked on in horror, while the member's of Alvida's crew who were still standing smiled triumphantly.

They were all shocked to see Luffy smile widely, despite the massive weight still resting on his head. "That won't work."

Alvida was the one surprised the most. "Impossible!" she screeched.

Luffy threw back his fist, knocking Alvida off balance while his hand stretched backwards. It finally came to a stop, far away from the ship.

Luffy began to reel his arm back. "**GUM-GUM...,**" he shouted, his fist returning quickly.

"**PISTOL!**" Luffy roared, his fist slamming into Alvida's midsection, sending her flying off the ship.

Luffy turned to the remaining members of Alvida's crew, who were staring dumbstruck at the last spot in the sky that Alvida had been visible.

"HEY," he shouted, grabbing their attention. "Get Coby a boat. He's leaving your crew to join the Marines."

The pirates shook in fear, the look in Luffy's eyes daring them to challenge him. Coby gazed thankfully at Luffy, his eyes wet with unshed tears.

Before the cowed crew could finish preparing the boat, cannon fire was heard in the distance, and the boat began to rock uncontrollably side to side.

Luffy looked for the source of the attack, smiling when he saw Marine warships. He turned to Coby. "Lucky! There's the Marines, so go on and join them," he said, scanning the adjacent waters for a means of escape.

His eyes lit up when he spotted a small sailboat, a rather attractive girl with orange hair preparing it for departure and fussing over a large cloth sack as she did.

"But I can't stay, since I'm a pirate," Luffy explained as he vaulted over the side, heading straight for the tiny boat.

Coby came behind him. "Are you crazy? If I go over there now they'll just arrest me like I'm a pirate!"

He looked over the side, debating whether or not to follow Luffy. Seeing no other alternative, he began to climb over the bulwark, speeding up considerably when his foot slipped and he went plummeting towards the little dinghy.

* * *

Nami whistled happily to herself. She had made off quite handsomely thanks to the timely arrival of "Lady" Alvida. Pick-pocketing the guests had been thoroughly unsuccessful, but Alvida's ship was a literal treasure trove, and she met little resistance. The one guard she had met ended up on the ground cradling a rather sensitive area and cursing (in a rather high voice) her and any other person he could think of at the time.

She had just finished up making the boat she had "borrowed" ready to set sail, making sure to adequately secure her prodigious haul in the process.

She pulled the map she had brought with her out of her shirt, planning the route she would take next.

She was interrupted by raucous laughter and fearful shrieking, as a lanky boy with raven hair and a strawhat crash-landed in her boat, albeit on his feet, causing the boat to pitch back and forth violently.

Her first reaction was to move to protect her treasure, and no sooner had she done so than a second boy, this one small with pink hair and glasses, came careening out of who-knows-where and landed face-first in the boat, causing it to lurch again.

When the boat stopped moving, she was quickly in the older boy's face, since the other didn't seem to be moving at the moment, his face embedded in the deck. "WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING, IDIOT!", she screamed, beyond pissed at the moment.

The boy didn't respond right away, opting to continue laughing instead, sitting down against the side. "Sorry, sorry," he breathed, "but we needed to make a quick getaway."

"FROM WHAT!", Nami screeched.

Her answer came in the form of a cannonball exploding against the side of one of the ships, showering them with water and splintered wood.

The boy gave a cheeky smile and pointed at the hole Nami was now staring at. "That."

Nami whirled around to glare at him, but thought better of it and opened the boat's sail. The sail caught the wind and began to sail away from the fight. They received unexpected aid when another explosion caused a gust of air that sent them skipping across the water, far away from the destruction.

Nami held onto her bag tightly, while the older boy whooped and cheered while holding onto his hat, and the smaller boy continued to become one with the boat.

* * *

When Coby woke up, he immediately tried to take stock of his surroundings. He first realized it was far later, since what sky he could see was orange and yellow, with some purple thrown in for good measure. He figured they were on some kind of boat, by the calm rocking motion he felt, along with the constant pressure of wood on the side of his face.

He got up and looked around, immediately spotting Luffy, as well as girl with orange hair that was currently talking to the rubber-man.

The girl noticed him first, Luffy following her gaze and smiling when he saw Coby. " 'Bout time you woke up, come over and I'll introduce you."

Coby shuffled forward cautiously, the annoyed expression the girl was making scaring him just a little bit.

She wore a tight shirt and an extremely short mini-skirt, an obvious attempt to show off her pronounced hourglass figure.

Luffy turned to the girl. "This is Coby. And I'm Luffy. Now will you tell us your name?"

The girl looked at the two of them and sighed. "I'm Nami," she replied grudgingly.

Luffy's smile widened. "So where are you going? Think we can tag along?"

Nami glared at him. "I suppose I can't exactly just drop you off in the middle of the ocean, as much as I want too."

She sighed again and reached down her shirt, causing Coby to blush and look away muttering an apology. He was ignored though as Nami appeared confused. She looked around the boat, her expression growing more frantic by the second.

She finally stopped searching and turned to look at Luffy and Coby. "Oh crap! I've lost the map!"

Coby was the only one who seemed to be affected by this, while Luffy just frowned and tilted his head in confusion.

"Let's see...," Nami began, trying to remember what happened.

"So you lost your map? That's kinda stupid."

It clicked in Nami's head then. The reason she had lost the map was...

"It's your fault dumbass!", she screeched, leaping forward and smashing Luffy's head into the deck.

She stood over her victim, her fist still smoking. "I probably lost it when you decided to come falling into my boat!"

Luffy struggled to pull his head from the deck, with Coby looking between Luffy and Nami and shaking in fear.

"Well," Nami sighed. "I guess we need to find an island or something where we can get some information."

Luffy, who had given up temporarily on freeing his head, raised his hand.

Nami sighed again, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Yes," she pointed to Luffy. "You. Idiot. What do you have to share with the class?"

"I saw land earlier," came his muffled answer.

No sooner had the words left his mouth then Nami had grabbed him by the scruff of his neck and hauled him up to eye level. "What?", she growled.

"Over there." Nami followed his finger to an island, no that far from them really.

"Right. You," she stared Luffy in the eye. "Stay put and stay out of trouble."

She threw him, the impact cushioned by her cherished cloth sack. The noise it made intrigued Luffy, and he crouched in front of it, staring at it as if doing so would yield answers.

Nami looked down on Coby. "Can you steer the boat?"

Coby nodded. "Sure."

"Alright." Nami looked at the island, then at the setting sun. "If we're lucky, we can get there before sundown."

She moved to the front of the boat, while Coby moved to the back, gripping the rudder and moving the ship so that it began to head for the island.

* * *

The ride was rather uneventful, Nami occasionally calling out orders for Coby, and Coby adjusting the ship's course accordingly.

Luffy meanwhile kept himself busy staring at the cloth sack, poking it when the mood struck him. He never shifted his position, staying crouched in front of it.

It was when they almost to the island that Luffy decided to look inside. He peered at Nami, but she was busy guiding Coby towards a small cove.

He began to untie the string at the top. Right when he got the knot untied, he felt a chill go up his spine. He looked behind him to see Nami, pure killing intent pouring out of every pore in her body.

She grabbed Luffy by the neck and threw him to the ground, hoping to capture him by falling on top of him. He stopped her though, and a furious wrestling match ensued. Luffy held back, but Nami had no such restraints and quickly gained the upper hand.

She pinned Luffy's arms to the ground, holding the rest of him down with by sitting on him. She hovered over him, both of them breathing heavily.

Luffy spoke up. "If you hadn't been so nice to us and given us a ride, I would've hit you."

Nami growled in response and bent her head down so she was talking directly in his ear. "Stay **out** of my stuff."

A cough alerted the two to Coby's existence, where he was blushing furiously. He pointed at the two of them, as if that explained enough.

Confused, Nami looked down, and, realizing the position they were in, quickly scrambled to her feet, smoothing out her clothes and breathing deeply.

Luffy contented himself with remaining on the floor, tilting his head in confusion at Nami's 180-degree change of temperament.

The scene was interrupted though, when the boat shuddered and lurched uncontrollably, throwing everyone (not already down) to the deck.

Nami looked up, her eyes widening at what she saw. The boat had drifted into a current, which in turn had led them to a whole nest of whirlpools.

She leapt to her feet, running back to the rudder and straining against it. She shouted at Coby and Luffy, "Don't just sit there, help me!"

Coby rushed to aid her, struggling against the rudder along with her.

Nami looked pointedly at Luffy. "Raise the sail!"

Luffy did as she asked, tying the sail-cloth into place. As he finished though, he noticed Nami's bag, unguarded, not a foot from him.

He looked back at Nami, who was still fighting against the current, her eyes shut tight in concentration.

Luffy moved silently towards the bag, an endless number of ideas running through his head as to what could be inside.

He opened the bag, and immediately frowned in disappointment. He lifted a jewel-encrusted golden crown out of the bag.

"What the hell?", he exclaimed. "It's all treasure."

Nami's eyes snapped open the second he finished saying that. She leapt at Luffy, her screech of 'Don't touch my things', drowned out by the roaring of the whirlpools. Coby, unable to steer the boat himself, was thrown to the floor.

The boat was tossed about, colliding against rocks that jutted up out of the water. Nami saw a huge rock coming up, and braced herself for the inevitable.

Sure enough, the boat shattered upon impact, throwing its three passengers through the air. Nami saw yet another rock in her path, and closed her eyes, expecting the pain to come.

Instead she felt a pair of arms wrap around her, and she swore that she literally bounced off the stone.

She hit the water then, all the air being driven from her lungs.

Before she passed out, the last things she saw were a cloud of red, a limp hand, and a shadow she couldn't make out getting closer to them.

* * *

**Moves**

**Gum-Gum Rocket**: A move where Luffy stretches his arm(s), pulling back and firing himself like a human slingshot, allowing him to cover great distances or body slam his enemies with tremendous force.

**Gum-Gum Pistol**: Luffy stretches his arm back, reeling it back in (or forcing it out) for a devastating punch.

* * *

Ugh, that took way longer than I planned.

Had some people complain about this before, so I was kinda loathe to do it, but I thought it would be easier than trying to reference back to these events in a different chapter.

Next chapter (if you decide to stick with this) is gonna be all new, so you can look forward to that.

Constructive criticism and reviews are cherished and welcome.


	3. The Monster of Hubr Isle

_All right, I'm on roll here, so let's keep it going._

_Thanks to everyone who read for being patient, school's a bitch right now, but summer break is almost here!_ :)

_So, without further ado, here's the next chapter of "Questions"._

_Oh, and I don't own One Piece._

The Monster of Hubr Isle

When Nami came to, she realized she was in an almost completely white room, the wooden floors and a vase of flowers providing the its only color.

She rose from the bed slowly, surprised to find that nothing on her hurt.

She was brought out of her thoughts by snoring to her right, and her head whipped around to find the source.

There in a bed beside her was the same boy she had met before. Luffy, if she remembered correctly.

His strawhat was gone, and while he appeared to be sleeping quite soundly, a snore ripped from his mouth every few seconds.

Before she could ponder where she was any longer, the door opened and in walked an elderly man in a long coat the same color as the room.

He noticed that Nami was awake and smiled at her, easing her nerves a little bit.

"It's good to see you're awake, my dear," the man said. "Oh, but where are my manners? My name is Doctor Airs."

He didn't wait for her to respond, and instead turned towards Luffy. He moved to the side of his bed and put a hand under his back, lifting him into a sitting position. Luffy meanwhile, remained sleeping, oblivious to all about him.

It was only then that Nami noticed the bandages wrapped around his back and torso. The doctor grabbed a nearby pair of scissors and removed the bandages, revealing an ugly looking gash on his back, stretching from the bottom of his neck to the top of his waist.

The doctor noticed Nami's disgusted face, and merely chuckled.

"Don't worry. It's not half as bad as it looks."

He called for the nurse then, who walked in carrying a tray loaded with gauze, salve, and other materials.

The nurse smiled at Nami as well and placed the tray on the table next to the doctor, who immediately set about treating the cut on Luffy's back.

After bandaging it tightly, he began shaking him, trying to wake him up, calling out to him at intervals.

Luffy woke up finally, though still appeared tired, and instinctively reached for his head.

Finding nothing but hair on top of his head, he was immediately wide awake, twisting his head every which way in search of something.

He turned to the doctor. "Where's my hat?"

The doctor smiled and pointed to the door. "It's out there, along with the rest of your clothes."

Luffy responded by jumping out of bed and ran out of the room in nothing but his underwear, earning a chuckle from the doctor, who followed his example and walked out as well.

The nurse turned towards Nami and smiled again. "Your clothes are out there as well. I took care of undressing you myself, so don't worry."

Nami smiled appreciatively and left the room, finding Luffy already out there in his vest and shorts, relieved to have his hat back on his head.

Nami blinked. "You changed out here?"

Luffy gave her a confused look. "Why not? No one was here."

Nami didn't bother arguing and moved to another room to put her clothes on. When she came back, Coby was there as well, relief showing on his face.

"It's good to see you're both alright. I was worried."

The doctor interrupted at that point. "Well, now that everyone's up and feeling better, the mayor wishes to speak to you."

Luffy agreed wholeheartedly, but Nami and Coby were apprehensive. With few options though, they followed the doctor out of the building.

The doctor pointed out a huge manor on a hill, and set off without a word, with Luffy not far behind him.

Nami and Coby paused, shared a look, and chased after them, falling into step with the other two.

* * *

The walk took a while, but soon they stood before the entrance. The doctor clasped the golden knocker on the door and knocked three times, a butler answering almost immediately after he stopped.

They were led through the garish mansion, and finally stopped in front of a pair of large, ornate doors. The butler bowed politely and asked that they wait a moment, before stepping inside and closing the doors quietly behind him.

While they waited, Nami took the opportunity to examine the door, ignoring Luffy's impatient whining and Coby's chattering teeth.

It was solid oak, polished to a shine, and intricately carved, the figures on the door portrayed in exquisite detail.

On the left door stood a crowd of people, the angry faces of the men directed at the door on the right, while the women looked away and shielded the children from whatever it was the men were looking at. Above them all sat a handsome man on a throne, a whip clasped tightly in one hand, while the other seemed to be directing something forward.

Her eyes moved to the right door with increasing curiosity, wondering what they were so enraged by. What she saw there disgusted her, and she could immediately understand the feelings of the people.

A monster, apparently created out of the most vile things imaginable, was carved there. It appeared to be growling at the people, but was set as if it planned to continue moving forward.

The doors opened just then, separating the people from the monster.

The butler they had come in with stood to the side, bowing and beckoning them inside.

The room they walked into was enormous, and appeared to be a study. The walls to the left and right were stacked to the ceiling with books, while a large desk stood to the back,with a large window just behind it. A large chair, currently with it's back to them, sat behind the desk.

The doctor cleared his throat. "I've brought them, just as you asked sir."

The chair swiveled around, revealing a tremendously fat man. He wore an expensive suit, and was decked out in gold and jewels.

He smiled at the group. "Ah, so good to see you are well. I trust you **are** feeling better?"

Luffy smiled. "I don't remember being hurt, but thank you for taking care of us."

The mayor waved his hand nochalantly. "Nonsense. It was rather easy for Doctor Airs there. You'll be hard pressed to find a better doctor anywhere else."

The doctor swelled with pride as the mayor continued. "And it seems you had a guardian angel. You were already patched up somewhat when we found you."

This confused Nami and Coby, who gazed at each other questioningly.

"Allow me to introduce myself. I am Mayor Narcis, the head of this great village on the isle of Hubr ." (A.N. pronounced "hubra")

He continued. "The reason I have called you here is that I believe you could help us with a rather...," he seemed to be searching for the right word. "...delicate problem."

He looked at them each in turn, his face a mask of seriousness.

"We want you to eliminate the monster that plagues this island."

The moment he said "monster", Coby began wailing in fear, while both Nami and Luffy appeared confused.

"Monster?" asked Nami.

"Yes," the mayor began. He folded his fingers together and allowed his head to rest on them. "We live in constant fear of the day when it will decide to attack us, and I am sorry to say we don't posses the power to stop him ourselves."

"Okay."

Narcis looked up, surprised at the quick answer. Luffy stood smiling, an air of confidence about him.

Nami, on the other hand, was appalled. "Now hang on a second! I'm not even with these guys!"

Now it was the mayor's turn to be confused. "You're not?"

"HELL NO!" Nami screeched. "And I certainly will have no part in any 'monster hunt', thank you very much."

She turned on her heel and began to storm off, the mayor attempting to persuade her back. She was almost to the door when he said it.

"I'll even let you keep the monster's treasure!"

Nami froze, her hand just about to grasp the door's handle. She made an immediate about-face and rushed to the desk, her eyes replaced with what appeared to be Berry signs.

"EH! Treasure!" she said as she squirmed in place, her eyes lighting up.

Narcis was taken aback. "Uh, yes. We have reason to believe that the monster has a hoard of treasure that he protects from those who might take it."

Nami shouted in victory and pointed in no particular direction. "Then what are we waiting for! Let's go get that damn monster and liberate that gold from his evil clutches."

Everyone present sweat-dropped at Nami's complete 180, except for Luffy, who was laughing his head off and seemed to find her actions extremely entertaining.

* * *

They headed for the forest, as per the mayor's instructions. He had informed them that the monster lay just beyond the forest, on the very outskirts of the island.

Coby crept along, jumping at every sound that was made. Luffy was acting as his polar opposite, marching triumphantly along the path, singing about how they were going to catch a monster.

Nami meanwhile, had trouble keeping her cool, as Luffy's singing and Coby's girlish screams continued to take their toll on her nerves.

She finally rounded on the two. "Will the two of you kindly...," she began sweetly, "SHUT THE HELL UP!"

She turned back to the path they had been following and stomped off, leaving a pouting Luffy to follow in her wake, while Coby remained where he was, cowering at her outburst.

After they had regrouped and continued for a while, Nami called for a halt.

"Do you hear that?" she whispered.

Coby and Luffy looked confused, but remained quiet. All was silent, and then they heard it.

The sound of trees rustling, as if something heavy was moving about them.

They turned to the last place they heard it and waited, Nami slipping unnoticed behind Luffy and Coby.

Just when they were about to give up and continue walking, they heard the sound of something hitting the ground, followed by Nami's muffled scream.

Luffy and Coby whirled around to find that Nami was being held hostage by a gruff looking man with an eye-patch. He had a hand clapped over her mouth and was holding a knife to her throat.

"I wouldn't try anything if I were you," the man menaced. "Besides this hostage here, your're also surrounded."

As if on cue, a group of men began appearing out of nowhere, some dropping down from the trees, while the rest popped out from behind bushes and other cover.

The men were all smiling, and each began congratulating the man who held Nami, referring to him as 'Captain'.

Luffy meanwhile, had not looked away from the so-called "Captain", and continued to glare at him. He clenched and unclenched his fists, growling as he wondered if he could move quickly enough to get Nami away from them.

The movement did not go unnoticed by the man, and he dug the blade of his knife into Nami's neck enough to draw blood.

"Oi, I said don't try anything. Do you really not care if she dies?", the man spat.

Quicker than anyone could comprehend, a man dropped from yet another tree, ending up right behind the captain and Nami.

"What the-?", before the man could say or do anything else, his knife hand was grabbed and wrenched away.

He was whipped around by the arm and slammed face first into a tree, knocked unconscious from the blow.

A second man attempted to grab Nami again, but the captain's stolen knife was already sailing through the air, and embedded itself in the man's shoulder.

The unknown assailant and rescuer straightened up then, allowing everyone present to get a good look at him.

A white cloak covered most of his body, while the hood obscured his face, allowing only his mouth to be seen. His arms kept the cloak from closing over his body again, allowing all present to see that he was wearing a black shirt, a set of baggy white cargo pants, and a pair of simple black sneakers.

The would be ambushers panicked and ran, screaming something that sounded vaguely like 'He's back'.

Luffy made as if to go after them, but was stopped by a hand on his shoulder. He looked up to see the mysterious man smirking at him.

"I'll handle them," he said. "You should probably see to the girl."

He pointed to Nami, and Luffy nodded in agreement. The man handed something to Coby and dashed into the woods in pursuit of the men.

From the depths of the forest they heard him shout back. "Leave those other two be! I'll take care of them when I get back!"

They checked on Nami, but she waved away their help. She put her hand to her neck.

"Nothing serious. The cut is small and it isn't that deep."

She noticed an object in Coby's hand. Upon closer inspection, it was revealed to be a small first-aid kit, a red cross stamped across the top.

Nami looked at Coby questioningly. "Where did you get that?"

Coby looked at the box. "That guy gave it to me. All he said was, 'Just in case'."

Nami sighed. "Be a shame to let it go to waste. Hand me a bandage."

* * *

They didn't have to wait long for the man to come back, as they soon heard what sounded like something being dragged through the woods.

They turned to find the mysterious man pulling what appeared to be the entire group of ambushers by a rope. Several were out cold, but he ignored any angry shouts of protest from those who were still awake, and didn't make a point of avoiding a path laden with trees.

He dropped the rope when he got close, and took notice of the situation.

Everyone was in the same place they had been before he ran off, with the exception of Luffy and Coby who sat huddled together with Nami. The "Captain" was still slumped against the tree he had been slammed against, and the man he had thrown the knife at was still on the ground, the blade still stuck in his shoulder.

He moved to Luffy's group first, and crouched down in front of Coby, holding out his hand.

He nodded his head towards the first-aid kit he had handed him. "Can I get that back, please?"

Coby was shocked that he addressed him, but handed the box over without a word. The man thanked him and stood up, walking over to the injured assailant.

He grasped the knife in his hand and yanked it out, stabbing it point first into a nearby tree. He set the man upright and bandaged his shoulder, confusing both Nami and Coby.

He began to drag the injured man towards his captured comrades, and set about tying him up.

He stood up and walked over to the man who had held Nami hostage, pulling the knife out of the tree and fishing a small book out of one of his pockets as he went.

He nudged the unconscious man with his foot. "Hey, wake up."

The man began to stir, but flinched and scrambled backwards into a tree in an attempt to avoid the mysterious man. The man ignored him and crouched down so he was eye level with the man. He opened his book, flipping through it until he got to a certain page.

"Andre the Ambusher," he announced. "Bounty of 3,000,000 Berries. Average bounty size for criminals in the East Blue. Earned his bounty by, as the name suggests, attacking those weaker than himself with a larger group."

He slammed the book shut. "But we've already met. I do hope you haven't forgotten about me?"

The man's cowering seemed to answer that he **did**, in fact, remember him, and it seemed their last meeting had been a rather gruesome one.

"So what'll it be this time? Are you going to fight me again, or turn tail and run?"

He scanned Andre's face, searching for an answer. After a brief length of time, he stood up and lifted the knife that had belonged to the captain.

"This knife... I noticed before I threw it. It's not very well taken care of, nor is it properly balanced."

He turned his back to the man and tossed the knife to the ground, where it buried itself point first in the dirt.

"The sharpness of the blade is important, but there are other things, often overlooked, that are equally important."

Andre had begun to crawl away quietly, and the man showed no signs of noticing, but rather continued talking.

"A properly balanced blade can be swung infinitely longer than one that isn't."

Andre was running now, confident that he could get away.

"And, if balanced well enough..."

He turned and pulled his own knife from a sheath concealed at his side, throwing it in Andre's direction in one smooth, fluid motion. The blade found it's target in his thigh, sending Andre crashing to the ground.

"...the blade can be thrown with astounding accuracy."

He walked calmly up to his quarry, who was grimacing in pain and reaching for the knife in his leg. He stopped moving and looked up in fear when the man stood over him.

"You neglect to take care of your weapons, which serve to keep you alive in battle. You abandon your crew, leaving them to an uncertain fate."

The man shook his head in disgust, his words dripping with contempt. "Andre the Ambusher. You have no right to be called anything less than scum."

He punched the injured man in the face and dragged him back towards Luffy and the others, dropping his unconscious body just a few feet from his crew.

Nami and Coby looked at each other and nodded, preparing to ask the man a few questions.

They were beaten to the punch by Luffy though, who jumped forward to stand beside the man, startling him slightly.

"Hey mister! Who are you?"

The man smiled, but didn't answer. "If I may, before I answer, I would like to know who you are and why you're here, if that's alright?"

Luffy smiled assuredly. "Okay."

He pointed a thumb to himself. "I'm Luffy."

He pointed to Nami and Coby in turn and gave him their names as well, earning a disapproving glare from the former and a fearful squeak from the latter.

"We're here to get rid of the monster!"

The man absorbed all of this, showing no emotion from the half of his face they could see.

Suddenly he began to laugh. "So you're here to kill the 'evil monster', eh?", he choked out.

"What, we can do it," Luffy pouted, upset that this man seemed not to be taking them seriously.

The man looked them over and shrugged, then moved his hands up to his hood, pulling it down and revealing his face.

Messy, dark-red hair covered his head, and a pair of warm brown eyes inspected them each again. His lightly tanned face split into a smirk and he chuckled one last time.

"Well, true to my word, I'll introduce myself."

He cleaned his blade off on Andre's shirt and put it back in it's sheath.

"My name is S. D. Matt. And among other things,..."

He grinned. "...I'm the monster of this island."

* * *

_Dun-dun-DUUUUUUN!_

_And so enters the first OC, and the "main" one at that. _


	4. A Bargaining Chip

_Well, time for the next chapter. For those of you waiting for "Above and Beyond the Call of Duty", I ask for just a little more patience. I need to set the stage for the next chapter with this before moving forward._

_Now that the boring stuff is out of the way, let us continue._

_I don't own One Piece. The OC's are mine (obviously)._

A Bargaining Chip

Nami and Coby walked far behind the self-proclaimed "monster", understandably apprehensive after the little show he put on just a while ago.

Luffy on the other hand was walking alongside him, chatting amiably with the man, who seemed to ignore the fact that he was dragging roughly 50 men behind him on a length of rope, or that he had an unconscious pirate captain slung over his shoulder.

"I don't know what to make of this guy," Nami whispered. "And even if he really is the monster that mayor was talking about, how are we supposed to 'eliminate' him."

Coby shuddered. "I don't know. He kind of scares me though. Did you see him when he came back from capturing those pirates?"

Nami nodded. "Yeah. Not a scratch on him. He didn't even look winded."

"Lots of training."

Nami and Coby jumped at the voice, and turned to look at the man they had just been talking about, who was currently smiling at them.

"W-What?" Coby stuttered.

"I train a lot, and these guys are pushovers anyway."

His comment earned him a significant amount of disgruntled complaining from the pirates that were still coherent, but they were quickly silenced with a glare.

He continued walking ahead, shouting over his shoulder as he went. "They're a group that preys on the weak and the few, taking hostages when they can so no one will fight back. They take what they want with impunity."

He stopped again and smirked back at Nami and Coby. "But because of that, they're terrible in a fight, since they try and make a point of not attempting anything that could risk a direct confrontation."

He set off again, pushing through a particularly large patch of brush that stood in his way.

"Ah, home sweet home."

He dropped the rope that he had used to pull the pirates, letting their captain fall gracelessly to the ground.

He turned around and spread his arms wide. "Welcome to the 'lair of the monster'."

A small, unassuming house sat in the middle of a large clearing, surrounded by trees in most directions, while a cliff and the sea below it provided still more separation from the outside world.

An equally tiny building sat just a stone's throw away from the house, although it's purpose was unknown to Luffy, Nami, and Coby.

The man smiled invitingly at them. "Make yourselves at home. Just no more whispering behind my back please."

He dragged the pirates with him as he went, not even bothering to carry the captain as he trailed him through the dirt.

Nami and Coby were left behind to sputter and feel foolish, while Luffy's laughing at their plight was swiftly ended by Nami's fist.

* * *

They entered the man's house, noticing that the pirates had been left to bake in the sun, along with their captain, who had been tied up separately and sat a good distance apart from his crew.

They heard sounds coming from what must have been the kitchen, and went to see what was going on. Their host was bustling about, checking his fridge and the cupboards for something.

He didn't bother turning to look at them as they came in. "I assume you're all hungry. Walking around looking for monsters and getting ambushed can certainly work up an appetite."

He turned around and shrugged at them. "Seems I'm pretty much out of anything edible though."

Luffy slumped, depressed at the prospect of no food.

The man chuckled at him and walked back to the entrance of the house. "Guess I'll have to see if I can find something out in the forest then."

"Wait! Mister... Matt was it?" Nami questioned.

The man in question stopped at the door and turned to face her. "Just 'Matt' is fine."

"Right. Um," Nami paused, wondering how to phrase her question.

"Are you...are you really the monster of this island that the mayor was talking about?"

He looked at her for almost a full minute, until she felt extremely uncomfortable under his gaze.

Matt sighed. "I've been the monster of this island since I can remember, and as far as I know, I'm the only one treated as such."

Nami seemed confused by his answer, and tried to press him for more information. "But what did you do to earn that title? It must have been pretty horrible if you were labeled a monster."

Matt didn't answer her question, and instead opened the door and walked outside, letting it shut quietly behind him.

Nami huffed, upset that he hadn't told her anything.

"Maybe it's a sensitive subject?" reasoned Coby.

"Well if he won't tell us," Nami clenched her fist, "we'll have to find out ourselves!"

* * *

They watched Matt enter the other building in the clearing, emerging some time later with a bow and a quiver full of arrows strapped to his back. He fiddled with what appeared to be a belt hanging diagonally from his shoulder to his hip, overlapped by the strap of the quiver.

"Well," Nami mused, "that's one place to check."

She looked to Luffy and Coby. "You two can handle that."

Coby cowered at the prospect of being found out, while Luffy looked confused.

"Why are we doing this?" Luffy asked. "He's a nice guy."

Nami sighed at his idiocy. "Nice guy or not, we don't know anything about him, and I don't like it. So, I'll search the house while you two go look around in that building over there."

They left to comply with her orders after Matt had disappeared into the forest, and Nami set about trying to find anything in the house that might give her some insight on this mysterious person.

She didn't find anything significant until she came across what was most likely his room. Just as sparsely furnished as the rest of the house, she had little trouble searching through it.

The only thing of importance that she found was a picture on the bedside table. It contained a picture of an exceedingly beautiful woman, her brown eyes peering up at the camera while her mouth was curled into a cheerful smile. She was sitting under what seemed to be a cherry tree, as several of the pink blossoms coated the ground and had found their way into her hair and onto her rather plain clothes.

Nami was pondering the importance of the picture to the so called "monster" when Coby came barreling through the door to the room, telling her that she needed to come with him.

* * *

She followed Coby out to the small building that he and Luffy had been tasked with searching, curious and slightly worried as to just what they had uncovered.

The answer came the second she opened the door, as a forge, complete with an unlit furnace and an anvil, greeted her. Various tools were hung in close proximity to the anvil: hammers of various sizes, chisels of different varieties, and multiple other tools whose use were a mystery to her.

What really caught her attention though, was the sheer amount of weapons that were hung throughout the building. Swords, axes, spears, maces, clubs, and other assorted weapons were hung neatly all around the place, with the odd shield and suit of armor standing out amongst the motley of offensive weapons.

"Wh-What the hell?" Nami finally managed to gasp. "It's like he's preparing for all-out assault. You think this is what that mayor was talking about when he said they were worried about being attacked?"

Coby shook his head. "I don't know."

"HEY!"

Nami and Coby both jumped, searching for the source of the sound, relaxing slightly when they noticed that Luffy was waving to them from a corner of the room.

"Come check this out!" he yelled.

Curious, they walked over to find Luffy tapping a small padlock on a plain-looking wooden door. He looked at them expectantly as they approached.

"What do you think is inside?"

Nami pulled a set of lock-picking tools out of nowhere, a mischievous smile on her face. "Let's find out."

She was about to begin picking the lock when she heard a voice from the entrance. "You guys work fast. Guess it was a good idea to put the lock there."

The group whirled around to see Matt leaning against the door frame, smirking at them. Nami and Coby looked at the ground sheepishly, embarrassed that they had been discovered.

Luffy on the other hand, stepped forward, unphased by his sudden appearance. He smiled and asked politely, "Do you think you could open this? We were having a lot of fun looking around, but now we can't-"

He was cut off by Nami and Coby slapping their hands over his mouth simultaneously, worried what would happen to them now that Luffy had revealed that they had been snooping around.

They were surprised to hear laughter rather than angry shouting, and looked up to see Matt shaking his head at the three of them.

"You could have just waited until I got back, and **then** asked." He stepped forward, reaching into one of his pockets as he spoke.

He paused in front of the door, pulled out a small key and inserted it into the lock.

He looked at each them in turn, huddled together and looking on in interest.

"Curiosity isn't a bad thing, but I do hope you put everything you touched back where it belonged."

Nami noticed that his eyes lingered on her a second longer, but ignored it as he turned back to the door. He turned the key in the lock, tossing it to the side carelessly.

He stepped aside, beckoning them to enter. Luffy strode forward without a second thought, while Coby and Nami entered far more cautiously, looking at Matt apprehensively as they passed him.

Their fears vanished when they noticed what the room contained. Low candle-light revealed small figurines standing on polished shelves, each of them sitting on different colored squares of cloth. The statues were intricately carved, and appeared distinctly human-like in their appearance. The only other notable item was a golden dish at the back of the room, propped up by sturdy metal legs.

"WOW!" Luffy exclaimed. He looked at Matt with stars in his eyes, pointing frantically at the statues. "These are so cool!"

Matt nodded his head in acknowledgment. He clapped his hands. "Well. I trust that your curiosity has been sated. I got quite the catch for dinner."

Luffy cheered and followed him out of the room, Nami and Coby not far behind them.

There dinner was revealed to be a deer, already skinned and cooking over a fire on a spit. Matt checked it and turned the deer, while Luffy crouched down and began drooling at the tender looking meat.

"Might take a little bit longer than I thought," Matt mused. He looked at Luffy, who was still staring intently at the ground, the river of drool he was producing threatening to put out the fire.

Matt got up suddenly and stretched. "No use in sitting down. Hey," he pointed to Luffy, who looked up at being addressed.

"How about a quick sparring match?"

Luffy looked confused, his tilted head giving away his confusion. "Why?"

Matt shrugged. "It's been a while since I had a decent opponent. I don't want fighting weaklings to make me rusty."

Luffy gave an 'oh' in understanding, and stood up, looking at Matt expectantly. Their host pointed to an area not far from where they were standing, and started walking.

When Luffy, Nami, and Coby arrived at the predetermined area, they noticed they were standing in the center of a giant circle gouged into the earth. Matt was already standing at one end of the ring, and was currently removing his knife and the belt that had been strapped across his shoulder.

Their host turned to them. "The rules are simple. If you are defeated, surrender, or step outside the circle, then you lose. No weapons are allowed."

He smirked. "Besides that, anything goes."

Luffy smiled and began stretching. "Sounds like fun. Let's get started then."

Nami shook her head and began to walk off, waving halfheartedly as she strode off. "You guys are free to beat the crap out of each other until you're blue in the face, but I'm not watching. I'm going for a walk."

They watched as she disappeared amongst the trees, Matt shrugging at her lack of interest. "Shall we begin?"

Luffy began swinging his left arm in a circle. "Yeah, let's do this."

Without warning, he stretched his arm, his balled fist aimed for Matt's stomach.

"**GUM-GUM PISTOL!**"

Though surprised, Matt jumped out of the way, Luffy's attack catching nothing but air.

"Impressive. You attacked quickly, and you seem to have some sort of Devil Fruit power."

Luffy grinned and pulled at his cheeks, nodding the affirmative. "Yeah, I ate the Gum-Gum fruit, so now I'm a rubber man."

Matt chuckled. "This could be interesting after all. I suppose I'll have to take you seriously."

With that his face hardened and he dashed towards Luffy, who was caught off guard with his skin still pinched between his fingers.

Matt's fist connected with his stomach, driving the air out of his lungs. While Luffy struggled to breathe, Matt's foot slammed into his face, his roundhouse kick sending him skidding across the circle until he eventually stopped himself.

Luffy got to his feet quickly, while Coby looked on, stunned at the speed at which Luffy had been floored.

Matt sighed. "Gloat **after** you beat your enemy, if you're going to gloat at all."

Matt's reprimand seemed to anger Luffy, further wounding his pride, and he launched himself at him, swinging his fists wildly, while Matt focused on dodging his blows.

Matt back-flipped, landing at the very edge of the circle. He moved to step backwards, but grimaced and caught himself.

Luffy smirked triumphantly and stretched out his arm, hoping to push him out of the circle.

Rather than appear worried however, Matt grinned and ducked, grabbing Luffy's arm as it soared overhead. "My win."

He pulled hard, yanking Luffy towards him, and swung him in an arc over his head, slamming him down outside of the circle.

Luffy sat in the dust, panting and shocked at the sudden turnaround. Matt fared no better, breathing heavily as he stood over him.

"You have a good amount of skill in hand-to-hand combat, and your powers allow you to extend that power further."

He shook his head. "But you lack strategy. You charge ahead recklessly, heedless of any consequences that may occur. A rampaging bull may be strong and impossible to defeat head-on, but it is easy to manipulate."

He offered Luffy a hand up, and grinned as he pulled the rubber man to his feet. He noticed Luffy's downtrodden face and sighed.

"If it makes you feel better, that's the best fight I've had in a long time. You're strong and fast, and you make pretty good use of that power of yours."

He flicked Luffy's forehead, startling him. "But sometimes, it's important to use your head for something other than just a place to hold that hat."

Luffy smiled. "Yeah. That was fun, though."

Matt nodded and moved to pick up his stuff, strapping his knife and his belt back on. "The food's probably done by now."

He went over and checked the deer, and nodded to himself.

He was about to throw more wood on the fire, which had died down to a small flame, when an eerie howl split the air.

Coby and Luffy began looking around immediately for the source of the sound, but noticed that Matt appeared quite disturbed. He looked in the direction that Nami had gone off in and cursed, walking towards the edge of the forest.

Coby and Luffy walked up to him, curious at his change in behavior. Before they could question him though, he spoke aloud.

"The wolves are out hunting."

* * *

Though Nami **was** truly uninterested in the fight, she had kept her real reason for this little "walk" secret from everyone.

She was hoping she would find a clue to the treasure the mayor had talked about, since that had been the only thing that had interested her in this little adventure they had been tasked with.

She hadn't gone far into the forest when she found a small footpath, nothing more than a thin strip of dirt among the grass and trees.

Deciding this was somewhat suspicious, she followed the path to the edge of the forest.

Judging by the sound of the waves crashing against the rocks, she also guessed she had come to yet another cliff.

Nami gazed around at the place she had come to, noticing two trees that stood out amongst the more common varieties she had seen in the forest.

One, a beautiful cherry tree, was in full bloom, the pink petals floating lightly to the ground with every breeze.

The other, a weeping willow about half the size of the cherry tree, looked rather sad and unimpressive, it's hanging limbs scratching at the ground in time with the wind.

She turned to around to the very edge of the cliff, noticing a small, flat, rectangular rock set in the ground, a small patch of well manicured ground stretching outward from the stone.

Nami looked at the plot of ground, confused by it's eerie familiarity.

Before she could figure out exactly what it reminded her of, she was startled by a hair-raising howl.

She twisted herself in all directions, searching frantically for the source.

She froze when she heard growling behind her, turning slowly to see that a small pack of wolves had snuck up on her.

She took a step back, the wolves following her, still snarling.

Eventually, she felt her foot slip, and she caught herself, noticing that she had stepped to the edge of the cliff while she had been busy retreating.

Two wolves stepped forward, fangs bared as they continued growling at her. Nami slowly reached for the staff she had disconnected and strapped to her thigh.

The wolves apparently spotted the action, and leapt at her, their slavering jaws anticipating an easy kill. Nami threw up her hands in defence, closing her eyes as she screamed.

She waited a few seconds, then opened her eyes, surprised that she hadn't toppled off the cliff, or been bitten for that matter.

Her eyes were filled with red, and as she looked up and spotted the straw hat, she realized that Luffy was shielding her, his back pressed to her as tight as he dared considering the long drop behind them.

Nami peered around him to see Matt panting, only now realizing that Luffy was as well. The two wolves that had leapt at her were now whining, sprawled out in the dirt, both of them sporting matching fist-shaped imprints on their muzzles.

Luffy's voice broke her out of her reverie. "Are you alright Nami?"

Nami looked up at his face to see him smiling at her. She quickly looked away, embarrassed to have been seen in such a helpless state.

"I'm fine," she admitted.

Matt butted in at that point. "Sorry to ruin the moment here, but you two should probably get away from that cliff."

Nami leapt away from Luffy, though remained wary of the edge as she did.

"THE HELL AREYOU TALKING ABOUT?" she sputtered, Luffy remaining where he stood, a bemused look on his face.

Matt ignored her though, as a midnight black wolf, slightly larger than the others, and obviously the leader, approached him.

The wolf proceeded to growl and snarl at Matt, almost as if communicating with him.

Matt seemed to have understood him though, and nodded. "I understand that I asked you to protect this place Likos, but these two, and the one back at my house, are guests. I neglected to mention the danger of heading out into the forest."

Nami looked on, stunned that he could have a civil conversation with a wolf. Luffy however didn't seem to mind however, and instead payed attention to his stomach, which was currently complaining about the lack of food.

Matt heard this and smirked. "Why not join us for dinner? I think I'll have enough for one more guest."

Nami was appalled at this. Talking to the wolf was one thing, but inviting it to eat dinner with them?

She was about to speak up when the wolf nodded and growled orders to the rest of the pack. They proceeded to turn around and head back into the forest, quickly disappearing amongst the trees.

Matt turned to the Luffy and Nami, smiling as he did so. "Shall we head back? Coby must be worried about you guys."

Luffy cheered and dashed off into the forest, Matt's calls for him to wait falling on deaf ears. He shook his head and laughed. "Likos, can you guide these two back to my house?"

The wolf growled questioningly at Matt, while Nami appeared horrified at the thought of traveling alone through the forest with this thing.

"I won't be long. I just want to stay here for a minute or so."

Likos seemed to understand, and turned to walk into the forest. Matt turned to Nami next. "Don't worry, you can trust him."

Despite feeling this wasn't really a reason to go along, something in the way he looked at the trees and the odd stone made her follow the wolf.

When she looked back she saw him crouched in front of the stone, gently brushing it with his hand.

* * *

Despite having a wolf over for dinner, and Coby's subsequent panic attack, things went rather smoothly.

Matt made sure everyone had food before him, Luffy ending up with about half of the deer, gnawing on it just as ravenously as Likos.

Matt then proceeded to cut himself a sizeable piece, then went ahead and sliced it in two, throwing one half into the fire.

Nami and Coby looked at him questioningly, but it was Luffy who voiced their question.

"Why'd you do that?" he asked, speaking around a mouthful of deer.

"Sacrifice," Matt responded.

This confused them even more, but Matt was already answering the question hanging in the air.

"For the gods I follow."

Noticing he hadn't really gotten rid of their curiosity, he sighed. He picked up a stick, drawing in the dirt as he spoke.

"Those statues you saw are personifications of them, stone effigies that I created. But the stories about and surrounding them are larger than life."

He sat back, revealing a drawing that resembled an upside down U. He pointed to the first name. "Zeus: god of the sky and king of the gods and goddesses."

He moved to the next. "Hera: his wife; queen of the gods, and goddess of marriage."

He continued down the line. "Poseidon... Demeter... Athena... Apollo... Artemis... Ares... Aphrodite... Hephaestus... Hermes... Dionysus.

"There are countless others, but these twelve are considered the leading gods. The Olympians."

Nami and Coby scanned his face for any sign that he was joking with them, but found nothing to conclude that he didn't believe this wholeheartedly.

Matt noticed their stares and sighed. He took a bite out of his hunk of deer and chewed thoughtfully.

"It's alright if you don't believe me. I don't expect you too-"

"SO COOL!" Luffy shouted, interrupting Matt mid-sentence.

His eyes were shining with excitement as he looked at Matt, who was caught off guard by his sudden acceptance.

"So these are those guys that you had statues of in that room?" he asked.

Matt could only nod. "More or less."

Luffy whooped and pointed to one of the names. "What did you say this guy did again?"

Matt looked at the name. "That's Poseidon. He's the god of the ocean."

Luffy's jaw dropped. "The **whole** ocean?"

Matt nodded again. Luffy flopped backwards and laughed.

"That's so COOL!"

Matt chuckled. "Glad you like him."

He turned to look at Nami and Coby, who had remained quiet the entire time they had been talking. "What about you two?"

Nami just gave him a blank stare. "I don't know if I believe you," Matt shrugged, "but I kind of like the sound of that Aph... Aphro... Who was it?"

Matt smiled. "Aphrodite, goddess of love and beauty."

Nami nodded. "Yeah her. Reminds me of myself a bit."

Matt laughed again, earning a glare from Nami. Matt waved his hands in front of his face. "I'm sorry. It's just an odd reason to like a god."

Nami's eyes narrowed. "Oh. Who's your favorite then?"

Matt gazed at the fire, a small smile spread appearing on his face. "I'd have to say I prefer Athena."

Nami's gaze told him she wanted more, so he submitted. "She's the goddess of useful craft, including forging, which I'm sure you've noticed that I dabble in a bit."

Nami scoffed. "More than a bit."

Matt ignored her. "On top of that, she's a war goddess, but she's not bloodthirsty like Ares. Violence isn't the first answer for her, and she always keeps a cool head in battle. She puts brain over brawn, and knows the value of strategy."

Matt grinned at Nami. "That answer your question?"

Nami huffed, and was about to retort, but Luffy interjected. "Can I ask a question?"

Matt nodded. "Go ahead."

"What's with your name?"

Matt seemed confused. "What do you mean?"

"Well," Luffy began, "You said your name was S. D. Matt right. What do the 'S' and 'D' stand for?

Matt seemed to tense then, but quickly relaxed. "I have no idea what either letter means."

He looked at the ground. "Someone told me that the 'D' was a request by a friend of my father's. The 'S' is the supposedly the first letter of my father's surname. I never learned more than that."

Luffy looked confused. "You don't know your father's name?"

Matt laughed. "I never even knew my father, let alone his name."

He took a swig from a bottle no one had noticed before. Pulling it away, he turned to Nami. "Now, let me ask you a question."

Nami nodded, and Matt continued.

"What exactly did the mayor say when he asked you to kill me?"

Nami flinched, sheepish now that she remembered the task they had agreed to.

"He... He said he was worried that you were going to attack the village."

Matt raised an eyebrow at this. "Did he now?"

He appeared to be thinking as he took another swig from the bottle. He scratched behind Likos' ears, who had curled himself up next to Matt while they had been talking.

He stood up and stretched "Well it's getting late. I'm gonna grab a bedroll and sleep out here," he began walking to his forge. "You guys are welcome to the house."

Coby tried to protest, but was ignored as Matt stepped inside the building.

Nami shook her head. "Forget it. As nice as he's being, it would be impolite **not ** to take him up on his offer."

Coby submitted and turned to Luffy, only to find that he had already fallen asleep, complete with extremely loud snoring.

Nami sighed. "Just leave the idiot."

As they walked inside the building, they failed to notice the shadow that slipped of into the darkness, leaping deftly through the trees without a sound.

* * *

"Sir," Doctor Airs began, "do you really see the need to send those children to fight the monster?"

"I do, Doctor," Mayor Narcis answered.

He heaved himself out of his chair and stepped towards the window.

"For you see..."

He looked up at the moon. "We have lost our bargaining chip."

* * *

Note: Likos is Greek for wolf. Let's hear it for lack of originality.

_Hope you enjoyed this chapter, hopefully the next one won't be so long._

_Constructive criticism is welcome._


	5. Monster of a First Mate

_Soooooo..._

_God I hate it when I do this. I had plans to get right on this, but I'm pretty sure I have a mild case of ADD. (Sigh)_

_To tell the truth, I probably would have been distracted even longer, but SOMEONE has been kicking my ass to get moving._

_Matt: You needed it._

_You still didn't have to hit me._

_I don't own One Piece._

A Monster of a First Mate

Nami awoke to the sound of metal clanging against metal.

Thinking it was just Matt in his forge, she figured she'd go tell him (or yell at him, whichever worked) to quiet down a little.

The sight that greeted her was not at all what she was expecting.

The pirates that had been tied up were now gathered in a circle, while about half of them were unconscious in a pile.

Nami immediately hid behind the nearest available shelter. She strained her eyes and was shocked to see Matt in the middle of the group of pirates, standing tall and looking otherwise unaffected by the fact that he was surrounded. His cloak was on, and his calm demeanor, coupled with his intimidating appearance, made him look rather imposing.

Wondering what happened to Luffy, she looked and almost fell over when she saw that he was snoring peacefully, undisturbed from his spot on the ground. Likos meanwhile, was sitting patiently, watching the battle with what could only be described as amusement.

She turned to watch the fight, wondering if she should do something, or just continue watching.

While she debated what to do, three pirates moved to attack Matt. Nami noticed that the weapons they had – a sword, a spear, and a large double-bladed battle-axe – were the same ones that had been hanging in Matt's forge.

She watched as the pirate with the spear attacked first. As he thrust forward, Matt made the slightest step to the side, grabbing the shaft of the spear as he went. He pulled the pirate towards him, catching him under the chin with the heel of his hand, causing the pirate to release the spear and stumble backwards, clutching at his jaw. Matt attacked then, raising the spear up and stabbing it into the man's foot, blood spurting from the wound as the man howled in pain. He was quickly silenced as the shaft of the spear smashed into the side of his head, knocking him into the dirt, where he was promptly removed by his allies.

The pirate armed with the sword struck next, slicing wildly at Matt. A large downward swing threw him off-balance though, and the man's wrist was immediately seized by Matt. The man began to sweat as the pressure on his wrist increased, and he screamed as a resounding crack filled the air. The sword fell from his limp hand, but never touched the ground before Matt had it in his own hand. He moved swiftly, the pommel of the sword slammed between the man's eyes, while the flat of the sword sent the man's head (and the rest of him) crashing to the dirt. He too was pulled out of the way by his fellow crew mates.

The third pirate, who had yet to attack, was still struggling to lift the heavy axe from the ground. He froze when a shadow fell over him, and looked up to see Matt standing over him, a spear and a sword held in each hand. He quickly scrambled backwards, while Matt simply stabbed the sword and spear into the ground and reached for the axe, effortlessly lifting it and setting it on his shoulder. He strode after the pirate, who continued to try and crawl away from him, a look of utter fear set upon his face.

He stopped when his back hit a tree, twisting his head to look for a way to escape. He cowered as Matt approached him, terrified of what he planned to do with the weapon as he walked closer. He watched as he stopped in front of him and raised the axe, closing his eyes and waiting for his death. He opened them when he heard it slam into something besides flesh, and looked up to see the axe buried in the tree. He looked at Matt, but was knocked unconscious by a foot to the face.

Nami watched as the fight, one-sided though it was, continued in much the same way. The pirates attacked, and Matt easily defeated them. Some he disarmed, while others he simply beat with his hands. When it was over, Matt stood, breath steady, and not a drop of sweat on his brow, while the pirates lay strewn around him.

As he began dusting himself off, Nami heard him call out. "You can come out now."

She jumped at being addressed and leapt from her cover. "H-How long did you know I was there?"

Matt smirked. "Since you came out here. Sorry to have woken you."

Nami shook her head furiously. "No, no! It's alright. I'm over it."

Matt looked at her panicked face and smiled sadly. Likos trotted towards him and he began to scratch behind the wolf's ear, sitting on the ground as he did.

"I would have preferred none of you saw that," Matt admitted.

Nami looked confused, but held her questions as Matt continued.

He sighed. "So now you see me as I truly am. The terrifying 'monster of the island' that the inhabitants fear."

He looked up at Nami. "You told me that the mayor was worried that I would attack the village. The truth is, I couldn't attack the village if I wanted to."

Nami looked, if possible, even more confused, and opened her mouth to ask just what was it that kept him turning the place into a pile of rubble whenever he wanted to.

"But why not?" piped up a tired voice.

Nami looked behind her to see Luffy rubbing sleep from his eyes.

Matt smiled. "So you were listening, huh?"

Luffy nodded. "You guys are loud," he whined.

Nami sweat-dropped, amazed that he could sleep through a fight, and yet consider a casual conversation loud.

Luffy looked at Matt. "So... Why can't you attack them?"

Nami agreed. "Yeah, they don't seem particularly strong." She waved her hands in front of her. "Not that I'm saying that you** should** attack them."

Matt chuckled. "It's quite simple really."

He allowed his hood to completely shadow all but the bottom half of his face. "They have something of mine that is very precious to me."

Nami nodded in understanding. "I see. Blackmail would definitely make things tricky."

Luffy's head cocked sideways. "Black...mail?"

Nami gave and exasperated sigh, while Matt gave a small smile. "Basically, they have something that they know is important to me, and they're holding it above my head, making sure I know what will happen to it if I don't follow their rules."

Luffy crossed his arms and scowled. "That's fighting dirty."

Matt laughed. "True. Though I have only myself to blame for this situation."

Nami looked questioningly at Matt. "Didn't you ever try to get it back? You could have taken it secretly, or maybe used a surprise attack to retrieve it."

Matt shook his head. "I thought about it, all the time in fact. I thought up brilliant, complex plans, unorthodox, unique ideas... If it was ever used, I entertained the idea, and even crafted a few new ones, completely of my own creation."

He sighed. "But eventually, I gave up, and surrendered to this way of life."

"Must not have been too important then," Nami reasoned.

Matt glared at her for a split second, causing her to flinch, but he quickly looked away, fascinated with the ground once again.

"You're wrong," he insisted. "It's very important to me."

"Okay then," Luffy chirped, grinning from ear to ear. "What did they take from you? We'll help you take it back."

Nami was immediately on him. "What's this **WE** stuff? I don't remember you asking anyone before you decided on this."

Luffy seemed confused. "You're not going to?"

This seemed to make Nami angrier, and she punched his head into the ground. "That's not what I said! I just don't like the fact that you're deciding things for me!"

Luffy apologized through a mouthful of dirt, some sincerity lost in the dust and gravel.

Matt on the other hand was genuinely surprised by their offer. He stopped petting Likos and stared at Luffy. "But you hardly even know me."

Luffy sat up and spat out the remaining earth in his mouth. "That doesn't really matter."

He wiped his mouth and smiled. "You're a nice guy. It's the least we could do."

Matt's look of shock quickly shifted to a grateful smile. "Thank you."

"Unfortunately, I'll have to decline."

Now it was Luffy and Nami's turn to be shocked.

"Why?" Nami asked. "Between the three of us, we could easily get back whatever it is they took from you."

Matt shook his head. "That's not the problem."

Nami was getting angry now. "Then what IS the problem?"

Matt gave a sad smile. "We're too late."

"**WHAT**?!" Luffy and Nami shouted.

Matt nodded. "I should have mentioned, but they **had** something that was very precious to me."

"What happened?" Luffy questioned.

Matt leaned back slightly, staring up at the sky. "The mayor's decision to rid the island of me was the thing that alerted me to the possibility, but I eavesdropped on a conversation he and the good doctor had last night. They said that their 'bargaining chip is gone'."

He shook his head. "Really, that's all they ever thought of it as. A thing they could shield themselves behind, hoping to avoid conflict with me."

He looked at Luffy and Nami. "Although they also used it to torment me."

He began petting Likos again. "Just the fact that it was so close to me, but so far out of my reach, was nothing short of torture."

Nami spoke up. "When they say gone-?"

"They mean its left the island," Matt affirmed. "I'm not sure how, and I'm not sure why, but it's no longer on this island. And I have no idea where it's gone."

Luffy was silent, while Nami looked at Matt with something akin to pity. She finally spoke up.

"So what are you going to do?"

Matt sighed. "Haven't gotten that far yet."

He looked at his house, than in the direction of the cliff where he and Luffy had saved Nami from the pack of wolves. "I've lived on this island for almost 18 years, and while I certainly have no problem leaving, I suppose I'm waiting for the right opportunity."

Luffy's face lit up at that, and he jumped up. However, before he even began what he was planning to say, he fell on his face, collecting yet another mouthful of dirt.

Nami and Matt were instantly concerned and rushed to his side. While Nami began questioning what could be wrong, Matt immediately moved so that he was crouched at Luffy's side. He took off his vest, throwing it to the side and revealing the bandages wrapped around Luffy's back.

He looked at Nami. "Did Doctor Airs, say anything about this?"

Nami nodded. "Yeah, he told me it wasn't as bad as it looked when he re-bandaged his wound."

Matt swore and stormed into his house, Nami watching him go, while Luffy continued grimacing from his position on his stomach.

Matt returned with a first-aid kit far larger than the one he had given to Coby the other day.

"That damn proud idiot!" he shouted, practically slamming the kit on the ground.

He began rummaging through the box. "I swear...Sometimes he has his head so far up his own ass, it's a wonder he can diagnose his patients."

Nami began to panic. "Is something wrong?"

Matt noticed her distress and calmed down. "It's nothing serious. It's just this isn't the first time I've seen the doctor miss a problem that a patient had because of his pride."

He proceeded to press around Luffy's back. Luffy hissed in protest, and Nami was about to stop him when Matt spoke.

"Just bear with it Luffy. I need you to tell me anywhere the pain feels different."

Luffy groaned. "What do you mean?"

"Anything that feels like a deep, dull pain," Matt elaborated.

Luffy nodded, and not long after, ensured that they knew (quite colorfully) that he was experiencing a new sort of pain.

Matt pointed to Nami with his free hand. "Keep your hand here."

Nami nodded, and allowed her hand to replace his, marking the spot they had found.

Matt began pulling out various items from his box, including scissors, gauze, salve, and some odd type of pads.

He began cutting through the bandages wrapped around Luffy's midsection, throwing them haphazardly on the ground.

"So what's the problem?" Nami asked again.

Matt looked up from applying salve to the gash on Luffy's back. "Airs was right about one thing."

He nodded to Luffy's wound. "It's shallow, and as far as the area it covers, it could be a lot worse."

He reached for one of the pads and began to open it. "However, it seems there's some internal bruising on the muscles in his back."

He moved the pad in the direction of Nami's hands, who took the hint and withdrew them.

"Like I said, it's nothing really serious, but since you didn't know about it, everything you've been doing has just put strain on those muscles. You jumping up like that all of a sudden probably caused you to pull something."

He place the pad over the area that Luffy had indicated, then set about reapplying the bandages.

"He'll be fine," Matt assured. "He just needs to take it easy for a while."

He sat up and helped Luffy into a sitting position, taking care to avoid his wounds.

"That pad is actually a poultice I prepared for muscle injuries similar to this. It helps relax the muscles in the area."

Luffy sighed contently, moving to thank Matt and Nami.

"Can't really say I'm surprised though. As hard as you hit those cliffs, you're lucky that's all you got."

Luffy and Nami's ears twitched at that, and they turned to look at Matt, who seemed uncomfortable under their combined gazes.

"What?"

"How do you know about that?" they asked together.

Matt scratched at the back of his head and sighed. "Guess there's no real point in hiding it."

He smiled. "You guys need to watch where you're sailing next time."

Luffy seemed to miss the obvious admission, and pointed accusingly at Nami. "It was her fault."

His words weren't lost on Nami though. She pointed a shaky finger at Matt. "You...You're the one who saved us."

This seemed to shock Luffy, who gaped like a fish and stared first at Nami, then proceeded to watch Matt for some sort of response.

Matt simply shrugged. "Guilty as charged."

He was immediately beset by two pairs of hands that seized his own and began to violently shake them, Luffy and Nami babbling their thanks.

Matt finally managed to shake them off, insisting that it was no big deal.

He finally turned to Luffy, who was still gazing at him with awe. "So what was it that you were so eager to say before?"

This caused Luffy's face to shift from admiring to excited. "Oh, yeah!"

His grin seemed to almost split his face in two. "If you're waiting for the chance to leave this place, how about you come with me, and sail around the world?"

Once again, Matt was dumbstruck by Luffy's offer. He managed to give out a response.

"Are...Are you sure?"

Luffy's seemed confused for a moment, before he grew excited again. "Of course I'm sure. I wouldn't ask you otherwise."

Matt remained pensive for several minutes, Luffy growing more and more anxious with every passing second.

"Come on. Just think about it. You can have lots of fun while you're searching for this important thing of yours," Luffy insisted.

Matt shook his head. "Sorry."

Luffy grew dejected, but Matt continued to speak.

"You surprised me there. I've never really had anyone invite into something and seem so excited by it."

He smiled. "You've got yourself a crew mate."

* * *

They debated whether to leave the island that day or the next, Matt insisting that they should leave the island immediately, before the villagers discovered what was going on.

"They might get desperate and try to storm the place," Matt argued. "And while I'm not on the friendliest terms with the people here, I'd rather avoid unnecessary casualties."

Nami nodded in agreement. "I see your point, but there's a problem."

She looked between Matt and Luffy. "We don't have any ships. We're going to need at least two if we're getting out of here."

Luffy blinked in confusion. "Why two? Can't we just have one big boat and sail out in that?"

Nami fixed him with a blank stare. "As much fun as I've had gallivanting about with you guys, there are things I have to do."

"**Alone**," she emphasized, noticing Luffy's unconvinced expression.

Matt spoke up. "I have two boats."

Nami rounded on him. "You do?!"

Matt nodded. "There's a small cove at the base of the cliffs where I have them moored. We can head down there when we're ready to leave."

Luffy shot to his feet. "Then let's go! The sooner we get underway the better!"

Matt gestured for him to calm down. "Just hang on. I need to get ready to go, and we should probably wake up Coby and let him know what's going on."

"Not to mention," he continued, "We're not going anywhere until around noon."

"WHAT?" Luffy moaned.

"I don't know if you noticed, but this island is surrounded by large cliffs that prevent entry. The place you tried to come through is the only way in. And the rapids you saw at the entrance to the island dissipate and let up sometime around 12 o' clock," Matt explained. "From there we have about an hour before they start up again."

Luffy slumped to the ground, crossing his arms in a defiant manner, but begrudgingly consented to the plan.

From there they each set about their own tasks. Luffy and Nami woke Coby up and explained what they were doing. Coby was all for the idea, and was glad to learn that Matt was coming with them, shouting his thanks for saving them while Matt was removing crates and boxes from his forge.

Nami peered inside one of the crates, discovering that they were all stuffed full of his various metalworking.

"You're really taking **all** of that?" Nami questioned. "You'll end up sinking the boat."

Matt paused to wipe some of the sweat from his brow.

"I might find a use for it sometime," Matt reasoned.

He shrugged. "And besides, one of the boats is bigger than the other one."

He finished several minutes later, clapping his hands to knock off any dust. He quickly disappeared into his house and came out a few moments later, the photograph Nami had seen and a crumpled piece of paper in his hand.

He placed these in his pocket and moved to a box, picking it up and moving towards the forest.

He turned and shouted over his shoulder, calling for Luffy to grab a box and follow him.

They trekked through the forest until they came to a rather narrow path jutting out from the cliff-face. They followed Matt down to the base of the cliff, where they quickly spotted and raced towards the nearby cove.

They were greeted by the familiar sight of the same boat they had sailed in on, the little dinghy bobbing on the waves.

Matt strode past them and began walking towards another boat, a sloop about twice the size of the smaller one, with a single mast jutting out of the cabin in its center, it's mainsail and foresail flapping slightly in the wind.

After storing the box on the ship, he took Luffy's and did the same, as the man himself was unable to move, his eyes reflecting the awe he felt by producing multiple twinkling stars.

"SO COOL!" he finally managed to speak. "Did you make that?"

Matt pointed nonchalantly at the bigger boat. "The sloop? Yeah."

He looked at Nami and jerked his thumb at the small dinghy. "I suppose I don't really have to tell you, but the smaller boat's yours."

"I repaired it the best I could, but I'd look for an opportunity to grab a new one as soon as possible. Sorry I don't have anything sturdier to give you."

Nami shook her head and smiled. "Don't worry about it. I'll make do."

She walked over to the dinghy, but froze when she noticed a familiar looking sack sitting near the prow of the boat.

Luffy, Matt, and Coby all jumped at Nami's scream, and immediately rushed towards her.

What they found was Nami cuddling up to a sack, it's open mouth revealing a large amount of treasure.

"Oh my sweet treasure," Nami cooed. "I'm so happy to see you again."

She looked in Matt's direction, all present sweat-dropping at how her eyes had been replaced by Berry signs.

"How did you find this?" she asked.

Matt shook his head. "I didn't. The boat floated into the cove after you guys went overboard. It was starting to sink, so I pulled it ashore and fixed it. I'm actually surprised that the boat wasn't completely destroyed, but it was pretty much just the front that had taken any serious damage."

Nami gave no indication that she had been listening, busy as she was snuggling up against her treasure.

Matt shook his head, an amused smile tugging at his lips.

He pointed to Luffy and Coby. "You guys can go ahead and hop on the other boat. I'll take care of getting the rest of my stuff.

They did as they were told, watching as Matt walked back up along the side of the cliff.

They waited several minutes, everything silent except for the sound of the waves and Nami whispering sweet nothings to her prize.

Matt came back with three crates balanced precariously in his arms, Luffy hopping up and running to assist him.

They secured the boxes under the deck, hidden by a secret door, and prepared to set sail.

"It should be alright to leave now," Matt assured.

They sailed towards the same small passage that Luffy, Nami, and Coby had struggled against, finding that the currents had indeed vanished, the water calm save for the occasional small wave.

Luffy took one last look back at the island, surprised by what he saw there.

"MATT!" he shouted. "Your house is on fire!"

Nami and Coby looked at the top of the cliff, shocked to see Matt's house and forge ablaze. Matt however, didn't even bother to glance back.

"Yeah, I know."

Suddenly, a chorus of howls broke the relative calm that had pervaded their leave.

This time Matt looked up to the cliff, just barely able to make out Likos and his pack, the cherry blossom and willow trees standing in the background.

Matt smiled and turned back around, removing one hand from the rudder to acknowledge the send off.

Then the two boats slipped through the narrow exit, and the cliff, the fire, the wolves, and the entire island vanished from their sight.

* * *

When the cliffs surrounding the island could no longer be seen, Nami pulled up alongside Luffy's boat and announced that she was leaving.

Luffy seemed genuinely saddened by the split. "Why don't you keep sailing with us? It'll be lots of fun!"

Nami shook her head. "No can do." She smiled. "If we meet again though, I'll consider it."

Luffy grinned back and nodded. "Alright."

They waved as she sailed off, then set about discussing what to do next.

"So, where to Captain?" Matt asked.

Luffy crossed his arms and closed his eyes, seemingly lost in thought. "Hmmm."

He opened his eyes and gave Matt a serious look. "I have no idea."

Matt laughed at this. "Why am I not surprised?"

Suddenly, Luffy sat upright and smiled. "I've got it!"

Matt raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

Luffy looked at Coby. "What do you know about that Zoro guy the fat lady was talking about?"

Matt seemed confused. "Fat lady?"

Coby scratched at his head sheepishly. "I used to work under a female pirate called Alvida."

Matt nodded and turned to Luffy. "I happen to know a bit about Zoro myself."

Luffy looked between Matt and Coby, wondering who he should give his attention to first.

Matt leaned back and gazed up at the sky. "He's a well renowned bounty hunter and swordsman, famous for his numerous successes."

He smiled at Luffy. "You might have a tougher time convincing him than you did with me. He's known as 'The Pirate Hunter'."

Coby cowered in his seat. "But that's not all!"

Luffy turned to look at Coby, who continued with what he knew. "People call him a demon, nothing short of a beast craving battle and destruction!"

Matt spoke up then. "He's supposedly been caught by the Marines and is being held at one of their bases. Somewhere called Shells Island."

Luffy sighed. "Oh well, must be pretty weak if he was captured by the Marines."

Matt smirked. "You want to head over there and find out for yourself?"

Luffy smiled and nodded, prompting Matt to change their course to send them in the correct direction, while Coby complained and shouted that this was a stupid idea.

* * *

_Matt: You really like to make people sigh in your stories._

_SHUT UP!_


	6. Hollow Shells (Island)

_Well then... I've already updated another one of my stories, so I better keep this up before I get distracted again._

_Matt: Why do I keep having to show up to these things?_

_It's a gimmick! People can enjoy some humorous banter between a man and a being of his own imagination._

_Matt: (whispered) Never knew people appreciated insanity so much._

Hollow Shells (Island)

Luffy hopped out of their small boat as it pulled into the harbor at Shell Island.

He stretched his legs and smiled, suddenly shouting out, "We're finally here!"

He rounded on Coby and Matt, both of whom were busy tying the boat in place.

"You guys are amazing!" he exclaimed, his voice betraying no small amount of surprise. "We actually managed to reach the place we were heading to."

Matt smirked. "So this is the first time you actually reached your original destination, huh?"

Luffy nodded unashamedly, but Coby was less than pleased, and immediately began to scold Luffy.

"You can't just carry on like this Luffy. If you really want to be the King of the Pirates, then you'll need an exceptional navigator."

Luffy nodded. "Right, I'll do that. But first, let's get you into the Marines and find this Zoro guy."

"Hang on a sec," Matt interrupted.

He hopped back onto the boat and opened the secret hatch, coming up moments later with a double-edged sword and it's scabbard. He stuck the sword onto his hip behind his back, ensuring that his cloak hid it from view.

He pulled the cowl of his hood over his head and smiled. "Now we can go."

Luffy frowned. "What's that for?"

Matt shrugged. "We're on an island occupied by a Marine base, here to see a prisoner being held by armed soldiers. I just feel like it would be a good idea to have something more than just a knife and my fists in case we encounter trouble."

Luffy nodded and continued walking, Coby and Matt keeping pace just behind him.

Coby finally spoke up. "So should we head for the Marine base?"

Luffy stopped and crossed his arms, thinking hard on the subject. "Hm..."

He reached a choice a split second later, his stomach deciding that they find food before approaching the Marines.

* * *

Luffy leaned back in his chair, patting his distended stomach. He smiled and sighed contentedly. "That was delicious!"

Matt took a large swig from a bottle he had talked the owner into selling him, humming in agreement.

He smiled as he pulled the bottle away from his lips. "Probably a good idea to have a meal before we storm the place. Could be the last we have..."

He let the sentence hang in the air as he drank from the bottle, Luffy laughing and agreeing with him, while Coby shivered and asked that he not make such morbid comments.

In an attempt to change the subject, Coby spoke up. "So I heard that the man in charge of this base is some guy called Captain Morgan."

The effect of that name was instantaneous, as everyone in the restaurant quickly leapt away from Luffy, Matt, and Coby, panicked expressions on their faces.

They left the restaurant shortly after that, Matt silent as Luffy laughed at how ridiculous the place was, and Coby attempted to make sense of the people's reaction.

Finally, Matt spoke up. "Hey, you guys go ahead of me. There are some things I want to check on before we get to the base."

Luffy blinked in confusion. "Like what?"

Matt smirked and gave a single word in answer: "Information."

They watched as Matt strode off, but he quickly disappeared among the people crowding the streets.

Coby looked uncertain as he glanced up at Luffy, only to find that the man in question was a good ways down the street, smiling and whistling a tune as he walked.

"LUFFY!" Coby called out.

Luffy stopped to look at Coby, who jogged to up to his side, and hurried to catch his breath.

"Aren't you going to wait for Matt?" he asked.

Luffy turned his head sideways at the question. "Why? He told us to go on ahead."

"Yeah, but-" Coby stuttered.

"And besides," Luffy continued. "Matt can take care of himself."

Coby stood still for a few moments, trying to contemplate Luffy's logic, but gave it up as impossible and ran after him instead.

* * *

They approached the Marine base, noting the lack of guards at it's walls and main gate.

Coby felt himself overcome by emotion, eyes tearing up as he launched into a speech thanking Luffy for all he had done for him.

Said rubber-man ignored him as he attempted to pull himself over the low walls of the compound.

He looked around from his unstable perch. "I wonder where they're keeping Zoro."

"He's probably deep within the Marine base, probably in a cell of some sort," Coby reasoned. "As dangerous as he is, they wouldn't just leave him out-"

"There!" Luffy yelled. "I saw him!"

He dropped down and ran to another part of the wall, Coby following behind him, doubtful that Zoro was being held outside the base.

His skepticism was replaced by fear as he clambered up the wall, Luffy already waiting for him.

The man he saw in the center of the dirt yard maintained a menacing aura, despite his being tied to a large crucifix. His clothes consisted of green pants and a white shirt, complete with a green sash at his waist. A dark green, almost black, bandana covered his head, revealing just the smallest trace of mint-green hair. Three golden earrings dangled from his right ear, and the tan skin of his arms and face showed a slight amount of bruising.

Ignoring Coby's obviously panic-stricken face, Luffy pointed at Zoro and spoke aloud, "If I untied him he could just walk right out of here."

"YEAH!" Coby screamed in terror. "HE'D ALSO KILL US ALL!"

Unsurprisingly, Coby's screaming attracted Zoro's attention.

HEY!" he shouted, grabbing their attention. "You guys are pissing me off."

He glared at the two of them and growled, "Get lost."

Coby shook and turned to Luffy. "Luffy, let's listen to him and get out of here," he whispered. "Just forget about getting him to join your crew. He'd kill you before you could even ask him."

Luffy frowned. "I could take him," he insisted.

Coby was almost too busy bemoaning his friend's lack of common sense and sanity to notice the ladder being set down right beside him.

Both Luffy and Coby watched in silence as a small girl ascended the ladder, motioned for them to be quiet, and then proceeded to hop down onto the grounds.

Coby looked between the girl, who was currently running towards Zoro, and Luffy. "Aren't you going to stop her?" he whispered fearfully.

Luffy merely stared at him and blinked. "Why don't you?" he asked.

Rather than act, they watched as the girl stopped just short of Zoro, smiling up at the man.

"Hello again!" the girl said cheerfully. "I figured you were hungry, so I brought you some rice balls!"

True to her word, the girl opened up a small folded cloth that she had brought with her, revealing the the starchy delicacies.

Zoro merely frowned at her offering. "I don't want it. Get out of here."

The refusal seemed to discourage the girl slightly. "But-"

"NOW!" Zoro yelled.

"My, my," came an annoyingly, high-pitched voice. "You really should learn to mind your manners, 'Pirate Hunter' Zoro."

A finely dressed man strode toward Zoro and the little girl. His blond bowl-cut fell to either side of his face, split by an irritatingly cocky grin. He was flanked on either side by a Marine, both of them looking as though they wished they could be anywhere other than their current positions.

He sneered at the the man restrained to the wooden cross. "And to think you'd act this rude to a little girl...You're quite the savage, aren't you?"

Coby sighed. "Now that little girl will be safe."

"Wouldn't count on it," quipped a voice from below them.

Both Luffy and Coby looked down from their hiding place to see Matt, leaning nonchalantly against the wall.

He looked up at the two. "Judging by what I've heard, that's the son of Captain Morgan, Helmeppo."

He turned away, finding interest in something off in the distance. "He's apparently a spoiled brat who enjoys nothing more than throwing his father's weight around. The people here are deathly afraid that they'll be turned in on some trumped up charge and sentenced to death if they don't comply with his whims."

He smirked and glanced back at them. "I'd give you the uncensored version, but I'm worried I'll offend your delicate sensibilities." Luffy snickered at this, while Coby seemed mortified by the information he'd just heard.

Further conversation was interrupted by a shrill scream, as the little girl went flying over their heads.

Luffy reacted immediately, leaping off the wall and stretching his arms to catch the girl, clutching her tight to his chest as he bounced into the dirt.

Coby rushed to their side, while Matt strode calmly towards them, picking up Luffy's hat from where it had fallen to the ground.

Luffy released the little girl, who was quick to smile and thank him. No sooner had she done so then Coby was checking to see if she was alright. Matt offered Luffy a hand and helped him up, handing him his straw hat as he did so.

Luffy took his hat and placed it back on his head, turning to look at the wall as he did. Matt picked up on his intentions and grinned.

"Shall we go have a talk with Roronoa Zoro?"

Luffy nodded in response, and the two made their way towards and over the wall.

Zoro noticed them as they approached, and glared at them menacingly. "What do you two want?"

Matt smiled disarmingly. "We just want to talk to you. I trust that's okay?"

Zoro huffed in annoyance, but didn't disagree to their request, leading Matt to continue. "What happened with the little girl just now?"

Zoro scoffed. "That idiot told the girl she wasn't supposed to be here, and had one of his bodyguards throw her over the wall."

Matt seemed about to ask another question, but was interrupted by Luffy instead. "That doesn't really matter. Anyway, you should come join my pirate crew."

Zoro seemed angered by the proposition. "No thanks. I won't stoop to becoming a pirate."

"Aw, come on," Luffy whined. "It's really fun. Isn't it Matt?"

Surprised that he'd been put on the spot, Matt answered nonetheless. "It's certainly been...interesting."

Zoro sweat-dropped at the choice of words, but it was seemingly lost on Luffy. "See? So join us!"

"I have my own goals to accomplish," Zoro insisted, "And they don't include becoming a pirate."

He smiled, an unsettling expression taken with the bruises and other injuries covering his face. "I'll survive this ordeal and accomplish my dream...No matter what!"

Having stood long enough to hear his impassioned speech, Matt turned to leave, but Luffy remained a moment longer.

He grinned. "You know if I were you, I'd probably die of hunger if I were left out here."

Zoro frowned at him. "I've got more will than you could probably ever have."

Luffy shrugged and made to walk away, but was stopped when Zoro called out to him.

"Hang on a second." He glanced down at a place on the ground. "Can you give me that?"

Luffy looked to where he was indicating, spotting the little girl's rice ball ground into the earth.

He looked at Zoro curiously. "You sure you want this?"

He picked up the mashed morsel, examining it as he did. "I mean it's mostly dirt at this point."

"Shut up and give it to me!" Zoro ordered.

Luffy complied, tossing what was left of the rice ball into Zoro's waiting mouth. Zoro struggled to swallow the meal, choking and sputtering once he was done.

"I told you so," Luffy pointed out.

"Tell the girl...," Zoro coughed, "That it was good...That I ate all of it."

Luffy grinned widely at Zoro's request, while Matt smirked from his place near the wall.

* * *

They found Coby and the little girl (whose name they learned was Rika) wandering the streets, but they quickly moved to a deserted alley for a little more privacy.

"He really liked it!?" exclaimed Rika. "And he ate all of it!?"

Luffy nodded from the barrel he was sitting on, smiling at her excitement. "Yep, every last bit."

Rika laughed, hardly able to contain her happiness. "I'm glad he liked it." She grew somewhat despondent then, confusing everyone present. "Helmeppo said they tasted awful."

Matt spoke up from his position against the wall. "He probably doesn't have very good taste, that's all."

She perked up at that, giggling at the idea. Luffy turned to Matt, curiosity evident on his face.

"So what were you doing?" he asked.

Matt smiled at the question. "Gathering information. And now I have a pretty good idea of what's going on here."

Noticing that he had his audience's attention, he continued. "Captain 'Axe Hand' Morgan is well known for his strength, but here he's feared for his tyrannical rule. He imposes heavy taxes on the people, and imprisons those that don't treat him with the respect he feels he deserves. Some people are even executed."

Luffy clenched his fist at that, while Coby blanched at the idea. Rika meanwhile, remained quiet.

Matt continued, taking no notice of their reactions. "Unless Morgan feels that it's a special case, the executioner is often his second-in-command, Lieutenant Commander 'Sword-Arm' Sylvio. The grip these men possess on the town is so great that it was difficult to even get information from anyone."

Matt glanced at Luffy and Coby. "The man I questioned made me swear never to breathe a word of this within earshot of those two or their associates. And that was after liquoring him up and giving him quite a large amount of money in compensation."

Luffy frowned. "Was it really that important to know all that?"

Matt shrugged. "Knowledge is power. The more we know of the situation, the better off we'll be."

Luffy conceded and turned to Rika. "So why is Zoro there anyway?"

Matt chimed in as well. "That's been bothering me too. A bounty hunter isn't the kind of person that gets hauled in front of the Marines for no reason."

Rika seemed nervous, clutching her hands tightly as she stared at the dirt. "He...He protected me."

Arching an eyebrow at this, Matt spoke up. "From what?" he asked.

Rika looked at Matt, Luffy, and Coby in turn. "One day, Helmeppo brought a dog he just got through the town. It kept attacking and biting people, but Helmeppo just warned us that if we did anything to stop it we'd be executed."

She gulped and continued. "Helmeppo brought the dog to the restaurant my mom owns, and I tried to chase it off. When it attacked me, Zoro knocked it out, and punched Helmeppo!"

Tears began to spring to her eyes as she kept talking. "But Helmeppo said that we'd be the ones in trouble, and told Zoro that if he let himself get taken in and hung up like he was, that he'd be let go in a month. It's been three weeks and Helmeppo just keeps torturing him!"

She began to cry, hiccuping as she tried to dry her tears. Coby moved to console her, while Matt and Luffy were drawn to the sounds of commotion in a nearby building.

What they found was the bratty son they had just been talking about, lounging about on a chair, his feet resting on the table. He shouted at the workers and anyone that was close enough to listen, laughing his head off all the while.

"Ah, I'm so bored," he announced. "And I've no means to rid myself of this boredom."

He laughed suddenly. "I suppose I'll have to have Roronoa Zoro executed. That should prove entertaining."

His laughter at his decision was cut off by Luffy's fist, as he ran up and punched Helmeppo, sending him flying into the nearest wall.

Stunned that he'd been struck, Helmeppo glared up at Luffy. "Do you know who I am? Do you know who it is you've just hit? My father will here about this!"

Luffy might have continued to beat up on Helmeppo, had Matt not decided to intervene at that moment, standing in front of Luffy and blocking him from getting to his target.

"Like I care!" Luffy shouted. "Why don't you fight me by yourself instead of hiding behind your father!"

"Give it up Luffy," Matt spoke, attempting to push him to the door. "He's not worth the time."

Helmeppo stood, a hand held against the side of his face where Luffy had hit him. "You just wait," he growled. "You're dead! You'll be killed within the hour."

Matt finally succeeded in getting Luffy out of the restaurant, releasing his hold and smirking at him.

"It's a good thing you hit him," Matt said. "If you hadn't hit the little shit, I would have."

Luffy smiled slightly at that, but immediately turned to look at the Marine base towering above the town.

Matt's grin grew wider. "So what now, Captain?"

Luffy began walking towards the base. "Zoro's joining our crew."

Matt sighed and shook his head. "Poor guy never had a choice in the matter."

* * *

_And that's that. _

_I'd hoped to have this done before or by Christmas, but some things came up._

_Matt: You got distracted again didn't you._

_But-But I got so much stuff. (twinkling eyes; the writer has been lost)_

_Matt: (sighs) If he were of sane mind, I'm sure he'd say that he hopes your respective holidays were entertaining, and that he wishes you a Happy New Year. (bows) Please continue to read and support the poor idiot._


	7. Shell Shocked

_Well, as I'm currently on fire right now (seriously you guys, TWO UPDATES within a single month), I figured I'd go ahead and churn out this chapter._

_For those switching between this and _Above and Beyond_, that's gonna be next, promise._

_Matt: You know you have school right._

_So what! School is for intelligent people._

_Don't own One Piece. In case that wasn't clear enough before._

Shell Shocked

Within the walls of the Shells Town Marine base, a lone man sat gazing down upon the grounds and village from a posh swivel chair. He chomped on the cigar in his mouth and breathed deeply, inhaling the strong-smelling smoke.

"I," he began, "...am great."

A single Marine, standing some distance behind the man, saluted. "Of course, sir. You're the great Captain Morgan after all."

The chair swung around, smoke issuing from the Captain's mouth as he eyed the grunt in front of him. He was a mountain of a man, even sitting down. Muscles bulged beneath darkly tanned skin, and a white mantle covered his shoulders and most of his body. Scruffy white-blond hair sat atop his head, while a scowl currently decorated the man's face. Said scowl was partially covered up by a metallic jaw that jutted out from the bottom half of his face, the word "Möwe" printed across the bottom of the contraption. His finger drummed against the weapon symbolic of his title, the giant axe connecting directly to his right arm.

"And yet, the people's 'tribute' seems to have dwindled significantly. How is it that the meager coin we collect from them can't even hold a candle to my degree of greatness?"

The Marine gulped as he attempted to answer the captain's question. "Well sir, times being what they are, the people can hardly afford to continue paying the taxes."

Captain Morgan ceased his tapping as he rose to his feet, turning to stare out the window. "It's hardly a matter of whether they can pay or not," the Captain reasoned.

He twisted his head to look at the Marine. "It's about their respect for me."

The Marine was saved from having to respond to his superior by the timely arrival of Helmeppo.

"Daddy!" Helmeppo whined, a hand holding a frilly handkerchief to his bruised cheek.

Morgan turned around to face Helmeppo. "What is it, my son?"

Before Helmeppo could answer, he was pushed aside by a large man wearing a mantle similar to the Captain's, though his was long enough that it trailed behind him. He ignored Helmeppo's complaining and bowed to Morgan.

He spoke in a smooth, oily tone, "It is ready, Captain."

Morgan smiled and nodded. "Thank you Sylvio."

The man nodded and raised his head, a cocky grin plastered onto his handsome face. His black hair was slicked back, and looked just as greasy as his voice sounded. He was wearing an expensive looking black collared shirt, with a matching pair of dress pants. The only thing that completely ruined his overall high-class appearance was the large sword grafted smoothly to his left arm. The sword itself was rather plain looking, with a wide cross guard, while the blade was long enough that it scraped the ground while his arm hung at his side, and wider than his own leg.

"But of course sir," he simpered.

* * *

Meanwhile, Zoro the Pirate Hunter was currently in the middle of the strangest situation he had ever experienced.

First the scrawny kid with the straw hat and his friend in the cloak came by, the kid all smiles as he welcomed Zoro into his pirate crew. In between his screams of protest, he could swear he heard the guy in the cloak apologizing for the boy's actions.

Then, after mentioning that his swords were being held by Helmeppo, the kid apparently got it into his head that if he got them back, Zoro would **have** to join his crew. The two proceeded to take off in the direction of the Marine base, the guy in the cloak dragging the kid by the collar of his vest after he had started running in the wrong direction.

He closed his eyes and sighed. "Those two are either brave or stupid."

Upon opening his eyes he noticed the wimpy, pink-haired kid from earlier attempting to scramble over the wall, falling flat on his face when he attempted to jump down.

He picked himself up and readjusted his glasses, making his way towards Zoro as he did.

Zoro regarded the kid. "And what do you want?"

Coby couldn't help but gulp a little when Zoro asked him the question, but he shoved his fear aside and responded nonetheless.

"Um...did you see where those two who were here earlier went?"

Zoro huffed and looked in the direction of the Marine base. "They went that way."

Coby was stunned. "You mean they plan to invade the base?"

"That seems to be what they had in mind," Zoro answered.

Coby looked towards the Marine base, then back to Zoro. He seemed to reach a decision of some kind, and stepped forward.

Zoro whipped his head around to find Coby tugging at the ropes that bound his arms, desperately trying to loosen them.

"Wait a second!" Zoro shouted at him. "What are you doing? If the Marines catch you you'll be executed!"

"I can't stand it!" Coby all but shouted. "What the Marines here are doing isn't right!"

He stared Zoro in the face, raw determination in his eyes. "I'm gonna be a Marine someday, and when I do, I won't be anything like this."

"Forget about that!" Zoro argued. "I can't go yet, I only have one more week here!"

Coby turned back to Zoro's restraints and continued to struggle with them. "Don't worry about that," he said.

"And why the hell not?" Zoro growled. "I don't know about you, but when I agree to something I see it through to the end!"

"Because if you stay here, you'll just be waiting to die!" Coby yelled.

Zoro looked taken back by Coby's sudden change in demeanor. "What?"

"Helmeppo never planned to release you at the end of the month," Coby revealed. "He was planning to have you killed from the very beginning."

Zoro was shocked, and continued to listen to what Coby was saying. "When Luffy found out, he punched Helmeppo without a second thought."

Zoro could only remain quiet as he looked forward, thinking about what Coby had told him.

Coby continued to speak however. "So I'll get you out of this, and then you can help Luffy and Matt. They're strong, but I'm not sure if even they can hold out against an entire host of Marines."

* * *

While Coby was trying to free Zoro, Luffy and Matt were having trouble finding their way around the compound.

"Matt," Luffy whined. "Shouldn't we head for that building over there?"

Matt's eyes followed Luffy's finger, glancing at the large tower jutting out of the center of the grounds.

He turned away and continued walking. "While I'm all for charging headlong into a horde of Marines, I think it'd be a better idea to figure out where exactly we need to go first."

Luffy scoffed. "I know exactly where we're going," he boasted.

He began walking towards the building. "We're going to get Zoro's swords."

Matt chuckled at Luffy's simple answer, but straightened himself and followed behind him, shaking his head and laughing silently to himself.

"You're in charge," he conceded. Matt continued to look around as they made their way to the building, finally voicing his concerns aloud.

"You know," he began, "I didn't expect their security to be so lax. Where is everybody?"

Luffy seemed to think about it for a second. "Maybe they all went to lunch?"

Matt raised an eyebrow at that suggestion. "At the same time?"

Before Luffy could respond, the sounds of shouting and something heavy hitting stone rang out above them, prompting the two of them to look up for the source.

Spotting activity on top of the tower, the two smirked at each other.

"Guess we'll check up there first," Luffy suggested.

Matt nodded and made for the entrance. "We'd better hurry, it's gonna be a long way to the top."

He stopped suddenly when he heard a scream of "**GUM-GUM ROCKET**" behind him, spinning around just in time to spot Luffy shooting up towards the top.

Matt sweat-dropped at Luffy's lack of patience. "Though I suppose that works too."

* * *

_Several minutes earlier..._

"Pull you useless good-for-nothings! Pull!"

Captain Morgan barked orders at his men, all of whom were currently attempting to pull a large statue of their superior upright.

"Daddy!" Helmeppo shouted, stomping his foot. "Why aren't you going after the man who hit me? Not even you have struck me! Not once!"

Morgan sighed as he continued to watch his men haul his likeness into place. "Do you know why it is that I have never hit you?"

The question seemed to surprise Helmeppo. "Um, is it because you think I'm great?"

"No," Morgan answered.

Out of nowhere, he suddenly turned around and punched Helmeppo, sending him flying into the low wall of the roof.

"Do not delude yourself," Morgan warned, stepping towards Helmeppo. "The reason I never deemed it necessary to strike you is simply due to the fact that you are a worthless son who isn't worth hitting."

Morgan towered over his son, forcing him to look up to meet his gaze. Helmeppo quivered as his father grabbed him by the front of his shirt and hauled him up to his face.

"You are not the great one here," he growled. He motioned to himself with his axe. "I am."

Helmeppo nodded fearfully, and Morgan dropped his son. "That reminds me...I heard a little mouse snuck into the crucifixion yard. I trust she was dealt with."

"You mean the girl?" Helmeppo realized. "Yes, I took care of her."

Morgan glared at his son. "I hope that means you killed her."

Helmeppo was taken aback by Morgan's words. "What? N-no, I didn't kill her. I mean, she was just a little girl. She probably didn't even know what she was doing was wrong."

Morgan looked away from his son in disgust, turning instead to one of the Marines nearby. "You there, go into town, find that girl and kill her!"

The Marine looked horrified at Morgan's suggestion. "Sir, you can't seriously expect me to do such a thing. That's just cruel!"

"I don't care what you think of the order," Morgan said, strolling towards the Marine. "All I expect is that you do it."

The Marine shook as the Captain approached, but did not back down. "No sir. I refuse to do it."

Morgan roared as he raised his axe into the air, the blade slicing across the Marine's chest as he brought it back down. The Marine sank to his knees before falling the rest of the way to the ground, his blood already forming a puddle around his body.

The Marines whispered amongst themselves, shocked that the Captain could kill one of his own men so easily.

"Rank is everything in this world," Morgan explained. "I made it to the rank of Captain on my strength alone. The fact that I am the highest ranked on this island means that my word is law. Everything I say or do is right."

He rounded on the Marines that surrounded him. "AM I CORRECT?!" he shouted

The Marines saluted, all of them answering at the same time, "Yes sir! You are absolutely right, Captain Morgan!"

Satisfied with their answer, Morgan spoke to his Lieutenant Commander. "I'll leave the girl to you, Sylvio."

Sylvio smiled and bowed. "Of course, sir."

Morgan turned around, ordering the Marines to take up the ropes and haul the statue to it's feet.

However, as the statue was being pulled upright, one of it's hands scraped a part of the building, causing the entire operation to grind to a halt.

Morgan descended on the Marine responsible like a bird of prey. "You damaged it," he ground out.

The Marine began to apologize profusely, promising to pay for any repairs. His pleas fell on deaf ears though, as Morgan once again raised his axe.

His untimely execution was cut short though, as Luffy flew past the roof, laughing his head off until he noticed that he'd overshot his goal.

"Crap!" he exclaimed. "Too far, too far!"

He stretched out his arms in order to catch himself, grabbing the ropes that were being used to haul the great stone effigy to it's feet. As he pulled himself in, the statue fell the rest of the way to the roof, fracturing at the waistline as it hit. The Marines struggled valiantly to save it, but it was all in vain as the top half of the statue fell to the earth with a resounding crash.

The Marines stood shocked at what just happened, while Helmeppo could only point at Luffy in surprise of his arrival.

Luffy, noticing what he had done, had the decency to look a little sheepish. "Sorry about that," he muttered.

The vein that had been throbbing in Morgan's head exploded, and his anger along with it. "CATCH THAT LITTLE BRAT SO I CAN KILL HIM MYSELF!" he roared at his men.

The men scrambled to comply, reaching for swords and guns in a haste to follow their Captain's orders.

Helmeppo, having finally found his voice, pointed at Luffy even more vigorously, shouting at his father that he was the person who had hit him.

Luffy, recognizing Helmeppo's voice, grabbed him in the confusion, dashing towards the stairs with a smile on his face. "I've been looking for you all over the place," he explained to Helmepp, who was crying hysterically as Luffy carried him off.

"What the hell is going on here?" Morgan wondered aloud. "Are we under attack?"

"Sir," Sylvio spoke up, having been the only one who hadn't chased after Luffy and Helmeppo. "There's someone down at the crucifixion yard."

Morgan turned around, spotting Cobby still trying to pull off the ropes that bound Zoro.

Morgan grit his teeth. "Traitors."

* * *

Luffy meanwhile, was toting Helmeppo (who had passed out from fear) all over the Marine base, hoping to find the place Zoro's swords were being held. He could hear the Marines some distance behind him, shouting for him to stop and release Helmpeppo.

He made a sudden turn and ran into a small group of three Marines who had apparently run ahead of him, intending to block his path and ambush him.

Luffy could hear the footsteps of the remaining Marines thundering behind him, getting closer and closer. "Get out of the way!" he shouted.

The Marines raised their guns, preparing to shoot should they feel the need. "Not a chance! Now let go of Helm-!"

He never finished his demand, as Matt appeared behind him, slamming the man's face into the wall. The other two hardly had a chance to react before Matt was on them, slinging the nearest one into the other, both of them crashing against the wall in an unconscious heap.

Luffy smiled at Matt's timely arrival. "What took you so long?" he asked.

A tic-mark appeared on Matt's head as he gave Luffy a strained smile. "Well, **Captain**," he said, putting extra emphasis on the title. "You left me on the ground as you went flying right up to the top. **I've** been making my way up here while trying to AVOID the Marines."

Luffy chuckled uncomfortably. "Uh, sorry."

Matt shook his head and sighed, grudge already forgotten. "Don't worry about it, let's just get out of here before we get surrounded."

Helmeppo chose that moment to wake up, turning his head groggily from side as he tried to figure out where he was. Matt noticed him and pointed out his being conscious to Luffy.

Helmeppo was immediately planted on his feet, held strongly in place by Luffy. "It's a good thing you're awake," Luffy said with a relieved smile. "I was getting tired of running around this place."

Helmeppo shook, his eyes shifting left and right as he tried to find a way out. "Wh-what do you want?" he managed to stammer out.

Luffy's smile widened at that question. "Where are Zoro's swords?"

Helmeppo gulped. "Wh-Why should I tell you?" he asked, trying to manage some semblance of defiance.

Before Luffy could try to convince him, Matt stepped forward, placing a hand on Helmeppo's shoulder. Helmeppo's eyes rose to meet this new person, but found that he couldn't see his eyes due to the hood hiding his face.

"Now Helmeppo," Matt spoke gently, "We've been running around this base quite a bit, and trying to avoid the Marines is starting to get annoying.

His grip tightened, causing Helmeppo to flinch and sweat profusely. "It'd be a great help to us if you could tell us where Zoro's swords are."

Helmeppo nodded understandingly, and told them that the swords were in his room, back the way they came. Matt released his shoulder and backed off

The Marines chose that moment to show up, blocking the hallway and the way back to Helmeppo's room.

Matt stepped forward, reaching for his knife and the sword concealed within his cloak, prompting the Marines to raise their rifles into a ready position.

Neither side got a chance to do anything more than that though, as Luffy charged towards the Marines, holding Helmeppo in front of him like a shield. Matt, realizing what he had in mind, released his grip on both his weapons and followed right behind Luffy, striking out at any Marines who tried to stop them from behind as they plowed through them.

They kept running all the way to Helmeppo's room, quickly entering and shutting the door quietly. They were both surprised by the frilly and thoroughly feminine nature of the room, but were unable to ask Helmeppo about his choice of décor, unconscious as he was.

"Might as well leave him here," Matt suggested, Luffy nodding in agreement as he set him to the side.

Suddenly, Luffy snickered as he remembered something, prompting Matt to ask him what was so funny.

"You were kind of scary back there," he explained, still laughing quietly.

Matt scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "Did that surprise you?"

Luffy nodded. "You don't seem like the kind of guy to try and scare people like that."

Matt smiled and chuckled slightly. "Intimidating people is easy enough. It's following through on the threats that's difficult," he said sagely.

Luffy agreed and was about to start searching for Zoro's swords, when he noticed them leaning against the fireplace. Three katana similar in terms of simplicity sat side by side, with the two on the left and right featuring a black grip and sheath, while the one in the middle sported a grip and case of pure white.

Matt shook his head in disappointment. "Didn't even bother to hide them."

He noticed Luffy's look of confusion. "What's wrong?"

Luffy pointed a finger at each sword in turn. "Which ones are Zoro's?" he asked.

Matt shrugged. "Just take them all."

While Luffy picked up the swords and started to tie them to his body, Matt noticed a commotion just below the window.

"Oi, Luffy," he called, his Captain coming over to peer out the window alongside him.

* * *

Coby was having little luck in untying Zoro from the crucifix. He continued to tug and fiddle with the ropes, hoping to put even a little slack in the binds.

"HALT!" a voice shouted, echoing out over the crucifixion yard.

Coby jumped, turning in the direction of the voice to find a squad of Marines, the barrels of their rifles pointed directly at them. Captain Morgan stood over his troops, Sylvio right behind him.

Morgan stared directly at Coby as he spoke. "You have been charged with treason," he said menacingly. "And so you," he looked in Zoro's direction, "and the 'Pirate Hunter', shall be executed."

Zoro merely scoffed at him. "Big talk from a guy who has his Marine flunkies do his dirty work."

He smiled mockingly at Morgan. "You're all talk aren't you."

Morgan frowned at Zoro's accusations, and pointed his axe in his direction. "Do not get above yourself, Roronoa Zoro. The commoners and the scum of the seas may fear you, but not I."

He gestured to himself. "Here, I am the hunter."

He raised his hand above his head. "Prepare to fire men," he ordered the impromptu firing line.

Coby shook with fear, while Zoro could only stare in terror at the rifles of the Marines.

He had long sense abandoned any fear of death, yet the thought that he would be unable to accomplish his goals...

_'No,' _he thought, memories springing unbidden to his mind. A young girl... a sword fight... a promise... a funeral...

_'I can't afford to die here,'_ he panicked.

* * *

"Shit!" Matt swore. "We'll never reach them in time," he realized, starting for the door nonetheless.

He was once again stopped in his tracks by a shout of "**GUM-GUM ROCKET**", turning around just in time to watch Luffy crash through the window.

He sweat-dropped as he stared through the hole his Captain had made. "Looks like I've been left behind again."

Luffy soared towards Zoro and Coby, just barely able to hear Morgan's shout of "FIRE" above the wind whistling in his ears.

He touched down, landing perfectly on his feet. He spread his arms out wide without a second thought, effectively creating a barrier between Zoro and Coby and their would be executioners.

All present watched in surprise as the bullets sank into Luffy... and continued to stretch it, his skin unbroken by the numerous lead balls that had been shot.

He looked up and smiled at the Marines, who had no chance to react before their bullets came flying back at them. They scrambled to avoid getting hit, while Coby and Zoro could only stare in disbelief.

"What the hell are you?" Zoro asked, understandably surprised after what he had just witnessed.

Luffy turned to him, his smile growing wider as he hooked the inside of his mouth. "I'm a rubber-man," he announced, his words distorted as he pulled his cheek to the side.

He pulled the swords off his back, handing them to Zoro despite his being unable to take them.

"I got your swords back," he said, as if it wasn't already obvious.

Zoro continued to stare at Luffy, hardly paying attention to the three katana in front of him.

"Just one thing though," Luffy spoke up. "If you take these back and try to get out of here, you'll be labeled a criminal."

His smile grew wider. "Or you could stay here and be executed," he added.

Zoro gave a him a smirk in reply. "The hell are you, a devil. There's no choice to be made."

"I'll join your crew," he conceded.

Luffy laughed, celebrating and shouting about how he had earned a new crew-mate, Zoro screaming at him to get him off the crucifix.

The Marines meanwhile, were still trying to get over their shock.

"What just happened?" one voice spoke up.

"Our bullets just bounced right off him!" another Marine shouted.

"It seems the boy in the straw hat has eaten a Devil Fruit," Morgan said, silencing the rest of his men before they began to whisper amongst themselves again: 'So they're real?', 'I thought those were just a myth.', "Is that how...?'

"The Devil Fruits," Morgan began, "...mysterious objects that, once ingested, give strange and remarkable powers to the one that eats it. Straw hat must have eaten a fruit that turned his body to rubber," he deduced.

Noticing that Luffy had begun to try and untie Zoro, Morgan decided to take action. "Very well. If guns won't work, then use swords!"

The Marines charged ahead, dropping their rifles and drawing their swords as they went.

Luffy continued to struggle with Zoro's restraints, heedless of the approaching Marines. "These are really tight," he whined.

"Just hurry up and get them off me!" Zoro shouted, the Marines already right on top of them.

As the Marines swung down, there was a resounding clang of steel against steel. Zoro stood at the center of a circle of Marines, all of their swords blocked by the three he held: the two black swords gripped tight in each hand, while the white sword was clenched between his teeth.

Luffy was amazed, staring open-mouthed at Zoro with astonishment in his eyes.

Morgan could only stare in disbelief. "The three sword style...But how did he..."

His question was answered almost immediately by a new voice.

"This is really starting to get old Captain," the voice complained. "You keep leaving me behind and hog all the action."

Everyone, Marine and pirate alike, turned their heads in the direction of the voice to find Matt strolling along the top of the wall, idly spinning a small knife between his fingers.

Zoro, recognizing the blade, turned to the wooden cross he had just recently been tied to, spying two identical knives sticking point first in it's arms.

"Although," he said. "Considering the circumstances, I suppose I can't really hold it against you."

Without turning to look, he threw the knife to the side, where the blade embedded itself in the muzzle of a Marine's rifle, the recruit hoping he could get a shot off while Matt was busy talking.

Noticing the new ornament he was sporting, the Marine dropped the rifle in fear, looking up as he noticed a shadow pass over him.

"It's not nice to interrupt someone when they're talking," Matt said calmly, an unreadable look on his face as he gazed down at the Marine.

The grunt nodded and scuttled away as fast as possible, Matt remaining where he stood.

Morgan grit his teeth at the newcomer. "One after another..."

Morgan yelled at the men who currently surrounded Zoro. "Men! Half of you stay and deal with Zoro! The rest of you engage this new rat!"

Despite the clarity and volume of his order, the Marines did not move from their positions as they stared at the man keeping their swords from descending any further. He didn't speak, but his glare promised death to anyone who moved.

Morgan spat in the direction of his men. "Useless." He turned to his Lieutenant Commander. "Sylvio, I grow tired of this. Execute everyone. Starting," he pointed at Matt, "...with him."

Sylvio didn't bow this time, but walked forward instead, a sadistic smile on his face. "Yes Captain," he said.

"Matt! Zoro!" Luffy called out, gaining the attention of both men. "Duck!"

That was all the warning they got as Luffy's swung his leg wide, the limb approaching with frightening speed. **"GUM-GUM WHIP!"**

Zoro crouched down, but the Marines around him were not so lucky, Luffy's outstretched leg slamming into them and sending them flying in various directions.

Sylvio didn't flinch as the rubbery appendage came closer and closer to his head, but instead raised his sword up in preparation to meet the leg.

Luffy, realizing the danger, tried to reel in his endangered limb, but Sylvio's blade descended, seeking to sever the extremity.

Once again, the sound of metal clashing rang out across the yard, as Sylvio's sword stopped short of it's target and Luffy's leg snapped back into place.

Sylvio smiled at the man who stopped him. "Pray tell, what is your name?"

Matt smiled from beneath his hood, no evidence of strain on his face as he held Sylvio's sword in place with his own. "Why do you care?" he asked.

"It would be a shame to kill a man I don't even know," Sylvio stated matter-of-factly.

"The name is S. D. Matt," Matt answered. "Good to see you have some manners at least."

Sylvio's smile grew more malicious at the reply. "Well then, shall we begin? I'd hate to have a man be late for his own funeral."

Sylvio raised his sword high above his head, bringing it down to empty air and dust as Matt stepped to the side. He immediately swung to the side, his blade glancing off Matt's sword.

Sylvio continued to strike with slow, heavy-handed blows, while Matt carried on effortlessly evading and parrying his attacks.

The Marines watched in shock as their Lieutenant Commander struggled against the cloaked man. They were interrupted when their Captain strode up behind them, his large shadow alerting them to his presence.

He sneered at all of them. "Worthless," he growled. "Allowing yourselves to be defeated so easily."

Morgan turned his back on his men. "This is an order!" he barked. "All Marines present, disregarding Sylvio, are to put their guns to their heads and pull the trigger on my signal!"

The Marines were shocked by the command, but any complaints were silenced by their superior's stony gaze. They reached for any rifle within reach, each man placing the barrel against his temple.

They never received the call to fire, as Luffy chose that moment to intervene, dashing forward and punching at Morgan, who blocked the attack with the flat of his axe.

"How dare you attack me you title-less maggot?!" Morgan shouted in anger, pulling off his mantle as he brandished his axe. "I am the great Captain Morgan!"

Luffy bowed slightly, knowing that it was impolite (even to an enemy) not to exchange proper greetings. "I'm Luffy. Nice to meet you."

Morgan roared and charged at the boy, swinging his axe down towards his head. It was all for nothing though, as Luffy jumped into the air to avoid the attack, the blade of the axe splitting the ground rather than his skull.

Luffy kicked out immediately, his foot slamming into Morgan's metal jaw. Morgan was sent sliding through the dirt before catching himself and rising to his feet again.

The Marines were once again stunned, rifles clattering to the dirt as they watched their Captain get tossed around by a scrawny kid in a straw hat.

* * *

Matt's fight seemed to be drawing to a close, as Sylvio's swings started to come slower and slower, and his breathing grew constantly heavier. Several times he tripped over his own feet. Despite this, there was still a manic gleam in his eye, and he continued to press his attack.

Matt, seeing an opportunity, sought to throw the Lieutenant Commander off guard. "What do you seek?" he asked. "Why the Marines? Why Morgan?"

Sylvio seemed surprised by the question, but merely gave a deranged laugh in response, an eerie sound that chilled the blood of all the recruits who watched them.

He stopped his mad laughter and looked at Matt. "'Why' you ask. It's simple really."

He swung his sword again, almost catching Matt unawares. The guards of their swords locked, forcing the two fighters face-to-face.

"I desire," he panted out, hot, pungent breath assaulting Matt's nose, "...death."

Whatever he had been expecting, it wasn't that. "What do you mean?" Matt asked.

Sylvio's smile grew wider. "I wish to immerse myself in death. Men...women...children...young or old...it doesn't matter. What I crave, is the feeling of their life ebbing away before me, the light fading from their eyes as they die. There is nothing that can compare to that sublime feeling."

Matt gripped his sword harder, his eyes piercing Sylvio with a cold stare from beneath his hood. "You're insane," he growled.

Sylvio laughed again. "Perhaps, but there is nothing you can say or do to stop me," he said, continuing to apply pressure to his blade, although Matt still appeared unaffected by the increasing force.

Matt gave Sylvio a frosty smile in response. "Then let's end this, shall we?"

They broke apart at the same time. Sylvio lunged forward, the point of his sword aimed at Matt's gut.

Matt didn't bother to parry, and easily sidestepped the thrust, slipping his arm up to grab the cross guard of Sylvio's sword. He wrenched the man towards him, the tip of the blade stabbing into the dirt as the sword buried itself in the earth.

Before Sylvio could free himself, Matt countered, stabbing his sword into the exposed portion of Sylvio's mantle, the Lieutenant Commander having neglected to remove it before the fight started.

He kept going, sweeping his foot at Sylvio's sword, the blade cracking and shattering as he made contact.

Sylvio never got the chance to mourn the loss of his weapon, as Matt's fist crashed into the side of his head a split second later. The impact lifted him from his feet, tearing his mantle free of his shoulders as he went. He slid through the dirt, eventually coming to a stop several feet away from Matt.

"This fight was decided the moment you came to face me," Matt spoke. "Dressed more for a celebration than a fight, wearing a cloak that would impede your movements."

"And, worst of all," he added, stepping towards Sylvio's fractured blade and pulling it from the ground. "Fighting with an **ornamental** sword that was damaged and rusty to begin with."

He dusted off the sword, revealing cracks spider-webbing across the blade, and patches of rust on the otherwise smooth steel.

Matt started walking towards Sylvio, who began regaining consciousness as he shook his head. He found Matt standing over him when his vision cleared, holding the greater half of his weapon in his hand.

Despite the imposing figure standing above him, Sylvio merely smiled and chuckled maniacally. "Will you kill me then?" he asked. "You think that frightens me? It excites me beyond belief. To know that I, who have witnessed the deaths of so many others, will finally experience that which has eluded my senses since I was born."

Matt said nothing, but instead moved the shattered blade so that it hovered above Sylvio's face. As he raised it up, Sylvio closed his eyes, a blissful, accepting look spread across his face.

He instead heard the sound of something heavy being slammed into the ground, and opened his eyes to see Matt still standing over him, sans the Lieutenant Commander's former blade.

His eyes caught the glint of steel to his left, and his head turned in that direction to see his blade sitting just a few inches from his face.

As he prepared to ask Matt why he had been spared, he was struck on the back of the head, smashing face first into his own blade.

Matt placed the foot that had kicked Sylvio back on solid ground, and walked towards his sword.

Lieutenant Commander "Sword Arm" Sylvio was in a sad state. His previously oil-slicked hair was coated with dirt and strewn about his face. His once pristine clothes were wrinkled and covered in dust. His face, once handsome, was bloodied and cut, with swelling and other numerous afflictions present.

"Do not lump me in with you, **Commander**," Matt scowled. "Life is a precious thing. To take the life of another is a heavy burden, and a last resort."

He retrieved his swords, cleaning it off with Sylvio's mantle and sheathing it. "Goodbye 'Sword Arm' Sylvio. You were no Marine, merely a showman with an intolerable obsession with death."

With those words, Matt relaxed and allowed himself to enjoy his Captain's fight.

* * *

The fight had been going poorly for Morgan. Luffy was small and light on his feet, and constantly dodged Morgan's slow, ungainly attacks.

It wasn't long until Luffy had Morgan laid out flat on his back. He didn't give the Marine Captain a chance to recuperate, grabbing a fistful of his shirt and hauling him up to meet his fist. He continued to punch Morgan repeatedly across the face, until the annoyingly shrill voice of Helmeppo called out to him.

"Stop right there!" Helmeppo screamed, a pistol pointed at Coby's head. "Or I'll kill the four-eyed weakling!"

Luffy punched Morgan again for good measure, earning a quick reprimand from Helmeppo. He released the Captain and looked in Coby's direction.

Realizing that he was holding Luffy back, Coby gulped and steeled his nerves for his next outburst. "Luffy! Don't worry about what happens to me!"

Luffy smiled. "Right. I got ya."

Luffy stepped towards the hostage and his quaking captor. "I'll really do it!" Helmeppo assured.

Luffy continued to walk ever closer. "Weren't you listening, idiot?" Luffy asked. "Coby's willing to risk his life."

Luffy ignored Morgan approaching from behind him, focused as he was on Helmeppo. As Morgan raised his axe to strike, Luffy flung out his fist, catching Helmeppo in the face and sending him sprawling.

Morgan, on the other hand, was already toppling to the ground, Zoro sheathing his swords as he watched his victim fall, three tell-tale slashes standing out on the Captain's chest.

Luffy nodded towards Zoro. "Thank you."

Zoro smiled dismissively and removed his bandanna from his head. "Just doing my job, Captain."

The Marines stood dumbstruck, taking in the sight that lay before them. Their Captain and Lieutenant Commander lay unconscious, their tyrannic hold broken.

Their reactions were to be expected. Every man able to move threw his weapons into the air, those that couldn't whooping and celebrating as loudly as anyone else.

Matt chuckled. "No surprise there. There was never any real loyalty to Morgan."

"Yeah, 'cause he ruled through fear," Coby finished for him.

Zoro chose that moment to collapse, his stomach grumbling as he complained of hunger. Luffy, Matt, and Coby couldn't help but to laugh at him.

* * *

One hour and several plates of food later, Luffy, Matt, Zoro, and Coby sat in the restaurant run by Rika and her mother, the inhabitants of the town crowding to get a look at their "heroes".

"Thanks for the food, miss. It was delicious," Matt complimented the owner.

"It's nothing," she insisted. "We owe all of you a great deal. A free meal is all I can offer you I'm afraid."

"It's fine," Luffy said, mouth full of food. "This is great!"

Zoro decided to speak up then. "So what now, Captain?" he asked.

Luffy swallowed and smiled at his new crewmate. "Isn't it obvious? We're headed for the Grand Line."

Coby, who had been sipping on his drink, sputtered, choking on the fluid. "Are you crazy?" he managed to get out.

"What?" Luffy asked in confusion.

"The Grand Line is too dangerous!" he struggled to explain. "You're going to be in for a lot of trouble if you head there without planning things out first!"

"What do you care? You're not coming with us," Zoro pointed out.

"That doesn't mean I can't worry about you!" Coby defended. "Even though it was short, Luffy and Matt are my friends. Isn't that right?" he asked, turning to Luffy and Matt.

Matt smiled and nodded, while Luffy gave him a wide grin. "No matter what, we'll always be friends," Luffy assured.

Coby appeared touched at Luffy's words. He lowered his head as he seemed to recall something. "I didn't have a lot of friends growing up," he said. "And since there was no one who would stand up for me, I didn't bother to stand up for myself. But meeting you guys gave me the confidence to chase my dreams."

He looked at Luffy and Matt with determination in his eyes, both of them happy to see their friend so fired up.

"Sorry to interrupt," Zoro spoke. "But isn't it a bad idea for you to be hanging out with us?

When Coby gave him a blank stare, Zoro explained. "If the Marines think you're a pirate, they'll never let you join."

As if on cue, the Marines appeared at the door. One of them, apparently the highest ranked of those present, stepped forward.

"It seems," he began, "...that you gentleman are pirates."

Luffy nodded, not even attempting to hide the fact. "Yeah, we are."

"While we are deeply indebted to you for getting rid of Captain Morgan, we cannot merely ignore pirates when they are right before us," he explained. "I'm afraid we must ask you to leave. However, out of gratitude, we shall not report you to headquarters."

This announcement was poorly received by the mob outside the restaurant, as they began to complain and hurl insults at the Marines.

Luffy merely stood up, both Matt and Zoro following his example. "Guess it's time to go then," he accepted.

Coby watched them go, battling with himself over whether or not he should say something as they left.

The Marine noticed that Coby had remained behind. "Aren't you with them?" he asked, gesturing towards the retreating backs of Luffy and the others.

"No," Coby insisted, doing his best not to look at them. "I'm not one of them."

The Marine was unsatisfied with the answer, and called out to the pirates. "Isn't this boy your friend?"

Luffy stopped in his tracks and turned to the Marine. "Well," he began, "I know a lot about his past."

Coby was stunned. _"What are you doing Luffy?"_ he thought.

"There was this enormously fat lady, I think her name was Albida or something," he informed, a smile on his face as he talked to the Marine.

"_You wouldn't...Please stop,"_ Coby pleaded internally.

"And for over a year, this scrawny kid was -," Luffy's speech was interrupted when Coby ran forward and punched him in the face, shocking everyone present.

Coby was too shocked at his actions to notice Luffy's triumphant smile. "Why you...," Luffy muttered angrily.

He began wailing on Coby, striking everywhere he could. The Marine eventually could take no more and moved to end the one-sided "brawl". "That's enough!" he shouted.

Matt and Zoro grabbed Luffy, stopping him and allowing Coby to fall to the ground. "It's obvious you aren't friends with the kid, so leave him alone and get out!" the Marine ordered.

As they left, Coby noticed Luffy's grin from his position on the floor, and realized that he'd played right into Luffy's plan.

"_He kept goading me to hit him so it would look like we aren't friends,"_ he reasoned. _"What the heck...Even now, I have to rely on him, on someone else, to the very last second."_

Coby rose to his feet, gaining the attention of the Marine. "Please sir!" he shouted, bowing as he did so. "Please let me join the Marines! I don't care what you have me do, but please let me join!"

There was silence as the Marine appeared to be thinking it over. "How do I know that you aren't a pirate spy?" he questioned.

"Because I'm going to be a Marine!" Coby yelled in reply.

The Marine chuckled at his simple answer. "I hope you know what you're getting into," he warned, turning on his heels.

"I hereby grant you permission to join. From this moment onward, you are a Marine."

* * *

Luffy, Matt, and Zoro walked casually towards the docks.

"You know they'll probably see through your terrible acting, right," Zoro joked.

Luffy stuck out his tongue in response. "Coby can handle it."

Matt smirked. "That kid's nothing if not determined. I think you rubbed off on him a little bit Captain."

They arrived at their boat, Zoro complaining about their supposed "pirate ship". Matt was about to get defensive, but noticed Coby standing some distance away, panting as if he'd run a marathon.

"Luffy! Matt!" he yelled, snapping to attention as he did so.

He threw up a salute. "Thank you so much! I will never forget the kindness you have shown me!"

Matt and Luffy smiled as they set off, Luffy promising that they'd meet again someday.

Before the pier disappeared from sight, the three pirates were treated to an entire Marine squadron offering them a salute, the rest of the town waving them off in different ways.

As the island shrank on the horizon, Luffy moved to the front of the boat, while Matt moved to the stern and grabbed the rudder post.

Luffy breathed in deep as he put his foot up on the bow. "LET'S HEAD FOR THE GRAND LINE!

* * *

**Gum-Gum Whip:** An attack in which Luffy stretches out his leg, hitting enemies (and occasionally allies) as he whips it to the side.

* * *

_And done._

_Holy crap, that took way to long._

_Matt: You could have broken this chapter up._

_It just ended up like this. Shut up!_

_Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed it._

_Leave a review if you feel like it. If you have a question, go check out the brand new _Question Corner!

_Next is _Above and Beyond the Call of Duty.


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